CRAZY NEW CHEMISTRY LAB CUISINE

Roast cauliflower dipped in chocolate or Stilton spread with rhubarb? Crazy new chemistry lab cuisine set to take the foodie world by storm.

Canapes of roast cauliflower dipped in chocolate or stilton spread with rhubarb could be on the menu for cocktail parties, if food scientists have their way.

A team in the U.S. has investigated the chemical links between popular food combinations, such as strawberries and cream.

They discovered we often combine ingredients that contain the same flavour compounds — the chemicals that give food its taste.

This may be why we like cocktails with berries or citrus but not carrots because fruit and alcohol share many of the same chemicals.

Some food groups — such as mushrooms, fish and nuts — have few flavour links, so are unlikely to be the source of new exotic combinations.

But other foods have strong chemical connections that don’t often appear in recipes.

Coffee is one ingredient that shares flavour compounds with many foods.

So it is little surprise that coffee-rubbed cheeseburgers with Texas barbecue sauce has appeared in foodie bible Bon Appetit magazine

Extracted from Daily Mail,London, published 27 December, 2012. Adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa

Share this post