Diet is a chimera

NUMBER 26March 2020

MACARENA DE CASTRO

CESAR COSTA

VICHY CHENG

GÍSLI MATTHÍAS AUÐUNSSON

ALBERTO GIPPONI

JEFFERSON E JANAÍNA RUEDA

L’IDENTITÀ NELL’EPOCA DELLA SUA RIPRODUCIBILITÀ GASTRONOMICA

RASMUS MUNK

BERNARD PACAUD

GARIMA ARORA

IVAN E SERGEY BEREZUTSKIY

GUIDO BERLUCCHI

MEREDITH ERICKSON

OFFICINA DIDATTICA CON ALMA

Diet, noun. [from lat. diaeta, gr. δίαιτα] «a way of

life». Variable, varied and more or less balanced

... everyone follows a diet. For Cook_inc. 26 our

writers, photographers and illustrators travel the

world, delineating a chameleon-like path following

some of the most identifiable and significant ga-

stronomic lifestyles of the new Roaring Twenties.

We travel with just one imperative: never-mind

the diet!

Spontaneous, free, immediate and frank the cuisi-

ne of Macarena de Castro (this issue’s cover star

pictured barefoot on the tractor with her faithful

Pedro) is ‘pure Mallorca’. Let’s start the journey

here, walking in her garden. Then from this sun-

ny, bright Spanish island we bounce to another,

arriving in chilly Iceland, wild and volcanic. It’s

here we seek to deepen our understanding of

the seasonal foods served at Slippurinn. Chef

Gísli Matthías Auðunsson’s restaurant is based

on endangered local food traditions from fishing

to foraging that has seen the local community

coalesce around its ambitions, helping create a

thriving business that feeds an Icelander’s nostal-

gic palate.

Next, we head south landing on a new continent

for two thrilling stories out of São Paulo. A Casa

do Porco, Jefferson and Janaína Rueda restau-

rant, has helped revitalized the historic centre

of the Brazilian capital with its focus on amazing

ingredients and creating a fun, easy going eating

space based on pork meat.

While at Corrutela, the concept of a youthful Ce-

sar Costa, you’ll find a menu based on sustaina-

bility and demonstrating a minimal environmen-

tal impact philosophy. Costa is creating a zero

waste destination and out of his kitchen comes

an honest, delicious series of dishes where sea-

sonal vegetables predominate.

Pursuing the veggie theme we fly to Asia, to Ban-

gkok, where we find Garima Arora cooking at Gaa

and offering her singular and surprising interpre-

tation of Indian and Thai flavors. We then conti-

nue a little further east, to Hong Kong, where we

follow the ‘VEA way’ of the dynamic Vicky Cheng

who amazes us with his rendering of Chinese

cuisine. His cooking is a dialogue between his

personal experiences and emblematic ingredients

of the Hong Kong culinary tradition.

Next, we completely change the scenography for

Paris and the luxurious L’Ambroisie, the undi-

sputed temple of an immortal cuisine, to meet

Bernard Pacaud, the thoughtful Highlander with a

heart of butter that promotes cuisine de civilité.

Then we head to the Alchemist in Copenhagen

for a full immersion across five acts and 50

impressions in the new cathedral to molecular

cuisine 2.0. This enterprise is led by chef Rasmus

Munk. Then we go to Moscow and the farm-

to-table realm of Twins Garden led by two of

Russia’s most innovative chefs, the brothers Ivan

and Sergey Berezutskiy.

In Italy we immerse body and mind in the ki-

tchen of thoughts, dreams and mad neurons of

Alberto Gipponi at Dina restaurant in Gussago.

Next while staying in Brescia, we head for Franco

Ziliani’s Franciacorta early dream that now has

becomea global success story for the sparkling

wine. In Milan we chat with Canadian writer Me-

redith Erickson author of Alpine Cooking, a book

full of recipes and stories gathered during her

journeys into mountain culinary traditions.

And what else do we look for in the food we

seek? Writer Serena Guidobaldi leads us to reflect

on identity in the era of its gastronomic reprodu-

cibility, while Officina Didattica at Alma offers us

a modern interpretation of the classic Abruzzese

Virtù, along with dietary tips and technical tricks.

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