The Appliance Of Science In Portugal

Much as I deeply love the República Portuguesa - for many years it was my second home - Portugal is not exactly the first country that pops into my mind when considering innovation and creativity. Things were very different 500 years ago in the Age of Discovery, when Vasco de Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral and Dom Afonso de Albuquerque sailed to the furthest corners of the world and claimed them for Henrique and the Portuguese empire. Half a millennium, several wars and the odd revolution later and Portugal is a much quieter and more introspective place, especially when it comes to culture. OK, there's the annual Porto hip hop festival and the beer and heavy metal Lisbon 'Super Bock Super Rock' festival, but for the most part the country is content to look nostalgically backwards through its folklore, fado and festas.

So it's no surprise that Portugal doesn't exactly lead the world in gastronomic innovation, either.

As well as their traditional music and dance, the Portuguese like their traditional foods and top of that list is bacalhau, salt cod that the Portuguese cook "a thousand ways". The pinnacle of Portuguese culinary achievement is embodied in Os Sete Maravilhas da Gastronomia Portuguesa (The Seven Marvels of Portuguese Gastronomy) - a variable list, but one that might typically read: Ovos Moles, Bacalhau à Brás, Arroz de Marisco, Francesinhas, Sardinhas Assadas, Caldo Verde and Cabrito Assado.

Now don't get me wrong here. These dishes, properly cooked, are absolutely fantastic. To me, classical Portuguese food holds its own against classical dishes from the world's greatest cuisines. But it is classical - prepared in the time-honoured way using traditional ingredients and cooking processes. Whereas... there's nothing classical in what I'm about to show you. Demonstrating that Lisbon can be as adventurous in its gastronomy as Barcelona and San Sebastian are my good friend Professor Paulina Mata of the Superior Institute of Agronomy at the Technical University of Lisbon and molecular gastronomy workshop organiser Joanna Moura of the food blog Jo Cooking.

In the clip below, from Portuguese TV, they start by introducing some of the techniques that molecular gastronomy can offer the chef. Alginate and chloride solutions are used to make redcurrant spheres and liquid nitrogen is employed to make instant ice cream and to demonstrate Heston Blumenthal's nitro-green tea and lime mousse creation from The Fat Duck tasting menu. The audience is also surprised to discover that a steaming hot bowl of soup is in fact cold - the 'steam' being produced by a few drops of liquid nitrogen.

The demonstrations are followed by an interview with Professor Mata in which she talks about how science and cooking are strongly intertwined and how molecular gastronomy is attempting to open our eyes to the exciting possibilities for future gastronomy. These ideas are about creating new textures in food and demonstrating in the laboratory that nothing is impossible in the kitchen. Henrique Sá Pessoa, Head Chef at Panorama Restaurant at the Lisbon Sheraton, says: "It's all about creating surprises... and these 'toys' allow us to deploy this surprise factor. I like the idea that when people go to a restaurant they're going to eat something that they could never make at home." Now who back home in England has recently talked about creating surprises for the customer? In the final part of the video, the demonstrator explains that molecular gastronomy is not just about creating amazing effects, but is also about explaining the reactions that occur in every day cooking at home in order to teach everyone how to become better cooks. Sorry there's no English subtitled version, but you shouldn't have too much difficulty following this clip. Pull up a test-tube and enjoy!

One amazing postscript to this. Anyone who knows Portugal will be only too aware that European and American innovations are likely to make an appearance in Western Siberia before they arrive in Western Iberia. But when it comes to bringing molecular gastronomy to the masses, Portugal is right on the ball. Paulina just sent me this link to a weekly TV programme bringing science to the people. Each week on "AB Ciência", co-produced by RTP and Ciência Viva, she and a colleague explain the science behind various cooking techniques and ingredients. You'll need good Portuguese to follow all of this, but the clips make great viewing nonetheless. Not at all bad for Portuguese television, considering that Heston only started broadcasting in the UK just over a year ago.