He had a world record in sit-ups and now lives in a nature park. The alchemist of the food world talks about what it takes to create gastronomical history
Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
With his statement glasses in place, it's not too difficult to spot British chef Heston Blumenthal among the crowd at Romano's at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar. The maverick chef is in the country for Masters of Marriott, where on Saturday, he presented an exclusive dinner. Tonight's dinner is in Delhi. What might seemingly look like a basic grey T-shirt, actually sports his personal coat of arms, now how many chefs can boast of that?
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Everything about Blumenthal is like his food, the flavours run a lot more deep than what you see. The joy with which he answers questions and poses for photographs with a mixed bag of fans - known chefs, journalists and food bloggers - it's difficult to fathom that he is the genius behind a three Michelin-starred restaurant, a Michelin-starred upmarket pub, and countless TV shows and books.
"The things we can't see make the things we can. When I started researching food and its molecules, I ended up being a consultant for one of the world's largest perfume and flavour company. I met flavourists, food scientists and even physicists, and asked them questions. And I realised that certain molecules give food its flavour, and (we need to) not look at leek as just a leek. Question everything." He tells the crowd, a seemingly simple explanation from the man who made molecular gastronomy a household term.
This anecdote reminds us of our meeting with Swiss chef Daniel Humm, and how he lets great artists and their philosophies inspire his dishes at Eleven Madison Park, and we wonder, do great chefs think alike? As we ponder about food and cross pollination of ideas, Blumenthal sits down with us and lets his brilliance take over.
You make food and science look fun, how can one use it to get children interested in food?
We should make children aware and set them free. We think that as parents we know best. If they want to put tuna fish with Nutella, let them have a go! If we don't like it, that's our issue. Learn from a kid's ability to let go. Several food cultures are rigid. If you ordered cappuccino for lunch in Italy, you might get kicked out (laughs). Is it wrong? No, in fact spaghetti Bolognese doesn't exist authentically in Italy. Just as we have a symbiotic relationship with trees, that is the relationship we can have with children in the kitchen.
Where do you learn from?
Everything. More now, (as I am) looking back (in time) to look forward. I ask myself, 'Why did I do this?' I may not find the answer, but on the journey, I will discover things. How did we start cooking? At some point, man made fire, and was cooking meat. What happened there? Cooking makes us human. Looking back at evolution, and cosmology, mineralogy, evolution, relativity, quantum theory, string theory, gravity - cooking brings it all together. Hunting, gathering, cooking and eating made us human, I keep on going back to that. I am becoming a kid again.
What is making you tick currently?
Nature. I kick boxed for 17 years and, bizarrely, I had a world record in two-minute sit-ups. Useless piece of information, but I have started exercising again. I live in a national park, so I mediate, and connect with nature, just (look at) a leaf blowing in the wind. I am out of the crowded world now.
Any such moment that made you come up with a dish?
Oh many! A peaceful calm moment is when you can have a wonderful memory, that moment can allow that memory to come back and be the inspiration (behind a dish), like the Sound of the Sea [his signature dish made with razor clams, seaweed, baby eels and mussels]. Someone asked me, 'Fish and chips or bangers and mash?' It depends what mood I am in, where I am, am I on a holiday? If I heard seagulls, it has to be fish and chips.
Which ingredient are you currently obsessed with?
[Points at a glass of water] The most complicated ingredient, water has memory, it carries data, behaves differently to different things, it is 90 per cent of our body. Without water we have no memory, and emotion is energy in motion.
What advice would you give to upcoming chefs?
Follow your gut. Become aware – of your surroundings, and be particularly aware of your emotions.
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