A
Chef's Criticism of Ferran Adria's Molecular
Cuisine
Dr.
Faust in the Kitchen?
|
Chef
Santi
Santamaria |
Editor's Note: Chef Santi Santamaria
passed away in February 2011.
Mega Spanish chef
Santi Santamaria railed against the cuisine
of his Catalonian peer
Ferran Adrià of
elBulli fame. He contended to the press
that, "Adrià is poisoning his patrons with his
added chemicals." Adrià lashed back, "This is
non-sense from all perspectives." He did not,
however, deliver any evidence supporting his
statement. Adrià, who popularized the
molecular cuisine invented by French
Chemist engineer Hervé This, has now dubbed his
astonishing concoctions, "Techno-Emotional
cuisine." So much for your emotions if you
don’t retrieve them at the bottom of a
retort.
A few
chefs, the Adrià followers in Europe, use for
their culinary preparations the additives
recommended (and sold) by Adrià. These products
are marketed under the name Texturas.
Their components are commonly used in beauty
products. As the advertising proclaims,
"they are destined to garner your kitchen
with a touch of magic." They are essential
to the techno-emotional cuisine, guarantees
Adrià.
Upon request of the Dean of Paris food writers
Jean-Claude Ribaut, an independent laboratory
has determined that the Texturas are Alginates,
Calcium Gluconate, Carraghenan, and
Methylcellulose, renamed for marketing
purposes: Algin, Gluco, Kappa, Metil, Lecit,
and Xantana. The smartly-wrapped kit of
Texturas necessary for the "basic
spherification"sells for around €77 and €115
for the inverse process. The first kit makes
the "olive oil spherification" possible with
only 48 grams of olive oil but with the help of
128 grams of Textura, mostly composed of
Isomalt. A French public service that controls
food safety states that Isomalt is a polyol
that can be used in food but in minute
quantities. In excess, it has a laxative
effect. Calcium Glunocate has a negative
impact on the rate of heart beat. Dr. J.K.
Tobacmam of the University of Chicago warns
that Carraghenan is a factor of the colon’s
pathology, while Dr. Khayat evaluates that our
body cannot assimilate Methylcellulose. Paul
Vanhoutte from the Pharmacy Faculty of the Hong
Kong University concludes that in small
quantities, lecithin, sucrose esters, and
alginates are harmful.
However,
the labels should specify the composition and
clearly quote the dosage of each of these
substances in regard to their safe, acceptable
maximum in our diet. The European commission,
thanks to its REACH program for the evaluation
of the chemical substances, will probably take
care of this necessary precaution.
If you really insist to add a touch of
chemistry to your kitchen visit http://www.albertyferranadria.com/
NB: Ferran Adrià is regularly crowned the best
chef of the world by the British publication
Restaurant Magazine, sponsored by Nestlé, the
world’s largest food processing
company.
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