One of the best things about being human perhaps, is that we will always be a work in progress.
It’s not about who they want you to be, but the way you see yourself.
“You can be the master of your fate, a captain of your soul, but you have to realise that life is coming from you not at you. And, that takes time” - Timothy Chalamet
Food Writing ,, Literary Pâtisserie
Sensory Exercise 1- Ayurveda Inspired Artisanal Chocolate, Sea Salt infused with Turmeric
I broke a piece (roughly 15 grams)out of the chocolate bar. In terms of appearance, the first thing that grasped my attention was the intersection between this irregular mass and its organic body, in which I dismantled. The rim conveyed soft crumbles rather than a reinforced, holistic sharp snap and clean edges. As I lay the partial mass on the palm of my hands, under rays of beaming sunlight, I noticed a copper undertone leading outwards from the epi centre of this mass-something I have never interpreted before. On the surface of this velvety asset, a small, slightly obscured imprint of a curcuma longa plant eulogises its perishable origins.
As I rub my index fingers in between this mass, it remains intact. The temperature is roughly 10-15 Degree Celsius below body temperature.
As I bring it to my nose, a delicate aroma of young honey with gentle hints of cork infusion peaks as I subtly inhale; reminiscing a blissful stroll down the valley on a cool autumn night, trying to wrap my head around the bold ideas of precipitation and moisture migration. A present presence to be lived.
As I let the partial mass sit on my tongue for a few seconds, the first thing I noticed was an immediate salivation, which could hypothesise the acidity this product holds. I allow my palette to savour what else does this edible piece of artistry have to offer. A warm, subtle wring of astringence started coating my mouth as the familiar taste of turmeric, indigenous spices settle on my tastebuds. Then comes the wholesome crystalline of a natural inverted sugar-honey, staggered in between minute ensembles of meticulously dispersed cocoa butter crystals. As the fat particles leaves the aura, the taste of ocean water meets the tip of my tongue. Tying everything as one, sustaining everything that’s been woven in between. Not just any ocean though, an adjunct ocean to a prestigious land of Ayurveda.
22 October 2020
Applied Food Studies- Historical Menu Interpretation
The recipe I chose to interpret is called Mersu (Mesopotamian, ca. 1750 BCE). I decided to make my own interpretation on this historic recipe without exact measurements for the first time.
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Since dates and pistachios are food items that I consume on a regular basis, I thought this recipe would produce the same aromatic properties, textures and flavour profiles I am already familiar with, yet the results were beyond the imaginative.
The way these two ingredients were handled and prepared took on a new level of aromatic and textural sensation. The three styles I interpreted Mersu into (please refer to photos below)had their own unique ensemble, despite using the same proportion of ingredients.
The Mersu cubes depicted a rather sweet aroma and tacky sensation when the first bite is taken. Followed by the slight crunch and earthiness from the pistachios on the side. The Mersu sticks conveyed a more cohesive, binding flavour profile and textual sensation. The gentle pressure from rolling the soft, tacky paste-like date sticks into the slightly coarse pistachio crumbs allowed a tighter, more evenly distributed flavour and textual property between the two. The Mersu halves(boats) portrayed a more dismantled, segregated property. Since the halves were not mashed into a paste-like consistency, there was less binding between these two ingredients. I would describe it as a clustered granola texture and sensation.
As a perfectionist and a baker, one of the challenges I have faced would definitely be the uncertainty of proportions, even though it might seem like a rather easy recipe. Moreover, in terms of equipment, improvises had to be made since I do not own a set of Mortar and Pestle.
I believe that the we studied historic recipes and menus to develop an analytical, critical mindset of a food studies scholar, as to interpret primary sourced evidences in the understanding of the sociocultural circumstances of a certain time frame. Despite the absence of measurements and methods to follow, a simple recipe like this embodies the power to portray its target audiences, social class, cultural heritages etc. For example, an abundance use of spices in a recipe would portray that it was written or made for the aristocracies, the royals and noblemen. A simple recipe with rather bland ingredients such as grains, beans and potatoes would portray that it was written for commoners. All of which, has the ability to craft our foodways and food systems. In other words, the interpretation of historical evidences allows us to gain a more comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and contextual understanding of the “relationship between human experiences and food” (Miller and Deutsch) -Food Studies at a certain time period. Furthermore, it provides incentives for the food industry to continuously progress by using the spectrum of roles food takes in its many forms.
22 August 2022
Sensory Exercise 2- Vegan Coconut Passion Fruit Panna Cotta
This vegan dessert was assembled in a Verrine glass. Having the benefits of the transparent, glass-like composition, the first thing that caught my eye was an array of monochromatic colours staggered between distinctively magnetizing layers. A creamy, ivory base sitting below a gelatinized puree of tropics with caviars of nature’s best fruit peeking through. Although there were only two sections, it provoked a rich ambience, an old folk’s tale, a whimsical paradise from the first glance. Finite ounces to devour, yet enough to embody the hyperbolic statement of meandering tropics.
As I place the panna cotta between my fingers, it gently tears the smooth, shiny surface of delicately set layers, revealing crumbled bits of emulsifications. Curdled but intact. Slightly disintegrated but dashingly homogenous. Holding the glass to my pulse, roughly estimating that it’s 30-40 Degree Celsius below body temperature. Like a ‘half-way-through-the-class’ ice bath.
As I bring the verrine to my nose, a rush of floral, tropical, herbaceous aromatic properties passes through my nasals. I inhaled deeper- coconut. Not the ones we derive from the grocery store- artificially packaged in plastic bottles, labeled ‘coconut water’, “Non-GMOs” under the health foods sections though. The young coconuts that fell from the tree near a high tides’ shore. The ones that carry fermented vibratility and nostalgia.
I closed my eyes as I lay a spoon of tropical amour on my palette. The creaminess from the coconut fat coats the tip of my tongue, balancing the sweetened, floral astringence from the passion fruit. The simplistic balance between coconut and tropical, citrus fruits leaves my palette enlightened and rejuvenated. Once again, reinforcing the beauty within simplicity and humble demeanors.
7 October 2020
