Well . . . . . It is the application of scientific principles to the understanding and development of food preparation. Put simply it looks at the physical and chemical transformation of ingredients which occur during cooking. In other words it is experimental restaurant cooking driven by the desire of modern cooks to explore the world's wide variety of ingredients, tools and techniques. Molecular gastronomy research starts in the kitchen where chefs study how food tastes and behaves under different temperatures, pressures and other scientific conditions. It seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of cooking.
The term Molecular Gastronomy was first coined in 1988 by Oxford Physicist Nicholas Kurti and French Chemist Herve This. However there are several notable examples throughout history of investigations into the science of everyday cooking recorded as far as back to 18th century - but that's for another day!
Another term for 'Molecular Gastronomy' is 'Modernist Cuisine'.
The picture above is a creation of Adam Melonas, an Australian Chef.
It is called 'Octopop' on his menu and is created by cooking octopus at a very low temperature, fusing it with transglutaminase which is an enzyme, and then dipping it in an orange and saffron carraggen gel and suspending it on dill flower stalks.
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