Delicious or Interesting? On the Changing Aims of Contemporary Cuisine and Its Role in Food Adoption

Abstract

Molecular gastronomy has been defined as the search for deliciousness in food. However, over the last decade or so, a growing number of the world’s most avant-garde chefs have been striving to create foods that are interesting instead. This shift in focus has coincided with the longer-term trend toward the increasing visualization of food on TV, in cookbooks, and over social media too. In turn, this has led to an explosive rise in dishes that have gained popularity precisely because they are visually interesting. Indeed, this likely helps to explain a number of contemporary food trends, including the growing emphasis placed on beautiful plating (gastroporn), the fascination with unusual plateware, the emergence of blue-, rainbow-, and unicorn-coloured foods, and the trend of symmetrical breakfasts. Has the focus on appearance been to the detriment of the taste/flavour experience? This has prompted some exasperated commentators/chefs to urge for a return to a fundamental focus on food that actually tastes delicious. However, our brains are hard-wired to find the sight of energy-dense food exciting (i.e., attention-capturing). As such, looking to the future, the most successful new dishes and food products will likely need to combine eye-appeal, or visual interest, with an emphasis on deliciousness.