Breaking the bread mould

Photo credited to Modernist Cuisine

Nathan Myhrvold and the Modernist Cuisine team’s latest exploration is into one of the greatest human creations. Bread. Throughout time this marvel has taken on numerous different shapes and sizes, these have been dependent on the resources and technology of the time. Recent archaeological discoveries now suggest that humans were harvesting grain 100,000 years ago. We originally believed it to have been just 10,000. Bread has been integral to our species; if you take a quick glance across the world you will see hundreds of different variations of our humble loaf, from Injera, the sourdough-risen flatbread of Ethiopia, to Damper, the traditional Australian bush bread cooked over hot coals, we have utilised what has been available to us to make our humble loafs.

The announcement of Modernist Cuisine’s new book on bread has been meet with an enormous amount of excitement. In just one day over 110,000 people were reached with the news. The Modernist Cuisine website had almost 6 times it’s daily views. Bread is something that has been portrayed to so many of the general public as evil – how can this be true, when we have been reliant on it for so many years. What is evil is what we have done to our beautiful bread and the sedentary lifestyle that a large number of us live that results in our expanding girths – our waist lines are not a result of this develish bread (I sit here on my high horse, the plumpest I have ever been). But I digress; the social media has been RISING, Modernist Cuisine received over 800 likes on their Instagram account on the day they announced the title, name and release date. Modernist Cuisine is currently gaining over 1000 new followers a week on Instagram alone.

Chefs, bakers and home cooks have all been sending over reams of questions regarding what the book will entail; “Will it include gluten free recipes?”, “Will it have information on baking at altitude?”. These questions will be answered on release, but there is no point in denying the fact bread is not evil. We love bread.

Something foodie with the real Willie Wonka

Photos credited to Modernist Cuisine 

Modernist Cuisine have now moved from their refurbished Harley Davidson showroom, to their new state of the art kitchen. Questlove’s tour of the new home of Modernist Cuisine and discussion with Nathan Myhrvold has been published in his new book Something to Food About, which was released in the USA this week.

In the chapter of Questlove’s book, Nathan and this music star discuss the development of food around the world and what has been the catalyst in this. Nathan believes that the discovery of the New World made a gigantic change to the food we ate and eat today, the explorers returned with tomatoes, chocolate, corn and revolutionised our diet. This has now been accelerated with air travel being so common; now for lunch our ever-expanding palate’s desire things such as Sushi or Thai food, nations have become melting pots for cuisines. On average, the world knows about all the world’s foods and hence why Nathan now believes the only way we shall fix our thirst for variety is to invent.

Art Culinaire also had the privilege of touring Modernist Cuisine and to sample some of the mystically marvellous things the modern moment’s Willie Wonka had to offer. The article can be found in Art Culinaire’s issue number 118, that is soon to be released.

By Oliver Ivey (The Plump one)