Four ways of applying gastrophysics to pastry

The shape of a food, its color, its aroma, the sound it makeswhen chewed, and even other environmental factors such as the intensity and type of light in the room we are in, the music playing, the people accompanying us, and even our mood at that moment directly determine the taste we perceive when tasting. And as if there weren’t enough elements to take into account, we must also add cultural factors, prejudices, memories, and previous experiences. And emotions… All these issues are encompassed in a scientific discipline known as gastrophysics.

As Charles Spence, whom we interviewed in this challenge, explains, “so much of the success or failure of any new culinary creation depends on something other than the recipe itself. How does the dish look, what is it called, how should it be plated, could AI be used to optimize the creation, all these questions, and many more, need to be addressed if one wishes to ensure that the customer, whoever he or she might be, experiences the flavor in the way that the creator intended.”

Therefore, gastrophysics can help chefs ensure that their desserts provoke exactly the reaction they intended when they created them. We could say that this scientific disciplinem provides the necessary materials to build creativity and provoke our emotions.

And that is exactly what Luis Amado, Irene Iborra, Alba Ruiz Ceamanos, Matthieu Atzenhoffer, and Janice Wong show us in the gastrophysics challenge of so good.. magazine 35.

Discover so good.. magazine 35

Luis Amado. Assembling flavor, assembling memory

Luis Amado thinks that neurogastronomy starts in the brain, not the plate. Flavor is memory plus sensation. Sound, color, texture, and aroma all trigger stories your body already knows. Model kits do the same. You open a box, and the smell of plastic and glue takes you home. You line up parts. You imagine the finished piece. Chocolate work follows that path.

The bonbon Crimson Edge grew from that link. “The form recalls the feeling of eating a popsicle as a kid. You hold it. You bite. No ceremony. The insert is hibiscus pâte de fruit. Bright and red, almost electric. In Mexico we drink hibiscus as agua fresca. I wanted that same snap inside chocolate, so I left the fruit exposed instead of hiding it. Many pâte de fruits end up coated in chocolate. I wanted to break the rule. You see the fruit. You taste the fruit first. The dark shell makes the color shout. The name fits the angle and the red”.

Discover the step-by-step recipe of the bonbon Crimson Edge, as well as other creations, in so good..magazine 35

Alba Ruiz Ceamanos and Matthieu Atzenhoffer. The Bouba-kiki effect

In less than three years, Morreig, a small shop run by Matthieu Atzenhoffer and Alba Ruiz Ceamanos that combines a hot oven and a cold freezer, artisanal viennoiserie, and artisanal ice cream, has become a trendy spot in Barcelona, ​​Spain. One of the reasons for its success is its subtle application of gastrophysics. Alba Ruiz Ceamanos has specialized for years in the benefits this scientific discipline can bring to pastry making.

In so good.. magazine 35, Ceamanos demonstrates that the same recipe, molded into a velvety sphere or a triangular prism, generates different experiences before reaching the mouth. This perceptual phenomenon is known as the Bouba-Kiki effect, first described in the 1920s and later studied in depth by Wolfgang Köhler. Consistently, most people associated the word ‘bouba’ with the curved shape and the term “kiki” with the pointed one. The same thing happens in gastronomy.

“To prove it, we propose a game. We have created two tablets that are chromatically identical, so that they do not reveal their flavor. One of the pieces is shaped like a bouba and the other like a kiki. At first glance, the flavor is unknown, but the shape already speaks to us”.

Discover the step-by-step recipe for these tablets, as well as other creations, in so good..magazine 35

Irene Iborra. Memories as a driving force

Irene Iborra, head of Mamá Heladera in the Poblenou neighborhood of Barcelona, embodies a unique approach to ice cream making. Together with her right-hand woman, Irene Vidal, she draws on neurogastronomy and the Sapiens Methodology, developed by Ferran Adrià and elBullifoundation, to work with flavor not only as the result of a technical formula, but also as an expression of memory, emotion, and culture.

Each ice cream is born from the shared memories of customers and is transformed into an edible story, a multisensory experience where science, technique, and humanity merge.

As an example, this ice cream which is inspired inspired by Najat El Hachmi’s novel Mother of Milk and Honey, and was created as a tribute to women who nurture, sustain, and navigate life with strength and sweetness. “Milk and honey symbolize love and care, and salt symbolizes wounds and overcoming adversity. An ice cream that embraces, like a story that hurts and comforts at the same time”.

Discover the step-by-step recipe for the Mothers of milk and honey ice cream, as well as other creations, in so good..magazine 35

Janice Wong. Multisensory palate-pleasing desserts

Both at her dessert bar 2am in Singapore and in the installations she creates around the world, Janice Wong does not hesitate to draw on many of the principles of gastrophysics to obtain a satisfactory response from her customers. “My multisensory palate-pleasing desserts and installations reflect work where art meets design, and my philosophy of creating experiences that can be touched, tasted, and interacted with aligns perfectly with gastrophysics principles”, asegura.

For Wong, there are three fundamental principles that she follows in her creative process: not using references (creating without looking at existing works), seeking perfection in imperfection (irregular textures keep the brain engaged), and interactivity in tasting. She demonstrates all of this in surprising creations such as baked mochi with a fondant interior. This is an unprecedented piece that stands out both for its pursuit of multisensory pleasure and for the interesting technical advances that the chef has pioneered.

Discover the step-by-step recipe for Baked Mochi Craft, as well as other creations, in so good.. magazine 35