What does power taste like? Does it even have a taste? According to the flavorists – or flavor scientists -- at IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc), power is the flavor of Laird Hamilton's back. Yes, that Laird Hamilton -- the international surfing superstar with all-American good looks and a body out of a beefcake calendar. The flavor of Laird Hamilton's back is apparently salt water and musky sweat – exactly the sort of residue a surfer might have on his back after a day in the water. And when applied to a strip of gelatin, such as the kind used in Listerine Breath Strips, it is a flavor that anyone can taste. Laird Hamilton's back, jet fuel and metal shavings, chocolate and leather, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes, adhesive spray and glue stick, and dirt were some of the flavors designed by IFF and shown off at their booth at the recent Research Chef’s Association conference in Houston. Originally introduced in Fall 2005, the flavors are part of a project called Visionaire 47 TASTE.
The flavors are a collaboration between chefs, photographers, and visual artists – from Yoko Ono to Bruce Weber to Vic Muniz to Ferran Adria – and IFF, which worked with Visionaire and each artist to choose an emotion-evoking word and provide an art work that illustrated that word. The artist also provided the description of a flavor that matched both the evocative word and the artwork. The flavorists then created the flavors based on the artists’ description and palate, applied each flavor to a gelatin strip, and packaged the strip in tiny cases that had photographs of the work of art on one side, and the contributors, including the flavorists, on the other. The final result of the collaboration was a beautifully illustrated album with an insert for the 12 flavors and full color photographs of the artists’ submissions. Many food companies received complimentary copies of the albums. Subcribers to Visionaire also received copies. The rest of the world has to buy theirs.
The flavor for “Luxury” was particularly difficult for IFF to design, although the final results were delicious. Ferran Adria, the acclaimed Spanish Molecular Gastronomist and chef, chose fresh picked pine nuts as his definition of luxury. Spanish Pine nuts are only available two months of the year – March and April – and must be eaten within hours of picking to be enjoyed at their peak. The first iteration of the pine nut flavor was flat, and rejected by the chef. The flavor wasn’t quite right – it was pine nuts, but not the very special Spanish pine nuts that Adria loved and cherished for their rarity. IFF worked up a more potent version – with flavors of toastiness, chlorophyll, fat, and nut. The result? An addictive flavor, even on a strip of gelatin. I wanted another, but was a little embarrassed to ask our flavor tour guide.
Jet Fuel and Metal Scraps were the flavor of “Adrenaline”, according to visual artist Jenny Holzer. She chose an absurd font for her words: "Energy of the Gods, Adrenaline Surge....Won't Stop Til I Hit the Ground, I'm on my Way for Sure....Up here in the Air, This Will Never Hurt....I'm on My Way to Impact, Taste the High Speed Dirt." Jet and Metal, as interpreted by IFF, tasted minty and reactive. “Youth” was illustrated by a very Bruce Weber come-hither young man with huge curly blonde hair(which made sense, given it was a Bruce Weber photo) and the flavor of cherry licorice. The flavors of butter, condensed milk, and vanilla were how Yoko Ono described “Mother”, which she illustrated with a photo of a single perfect breast. The flavor was pleasant and sweet, but it definitely didn't make me think of my mom or -- thank you Yoko -- mother's milk. “Life” was the flavor of dirt, which did indeed tasty like dirt – earthy, peaty, mineraly. I didn't want another piece.
The idea of linking food, flavor and emotion is not new, but this approach, using artists as interpreters of words and flavorists as interpreters of artists is novel and compelling. Flavor is intrinsic to eating, and in the process of eating we create memories and associations. Adding in the third element – the artists’ vision – takes an industrial application and humanizes it in a way that would be impossible by demonstration of flavor alone. Flavorists are also artists, and it takes a presentation like this one to recognize that.
For $175.00 you can buy an issue of Visionaire and experience Laird Hamilton's back. Or you can subscribe to Visionaire for $675. If I had that kind of cash lying around, I'd consider it.
In July 2006, Flavor and The Menu magazine (yep, there's a magazine for everything) sponsors their second annual appropriately named "Flavor Event" -- a three day orgy of food, flavor, and flavor trends. Attending this event will set you back a cool $495 if you are a research chef to $1925 if you are a consultant. Suddenly the cost of licking Laird Hamilton's back doesn't seen so obscene.
Why not try it at home?
Recent Comments