Project // Kitchen Alchemy
Cooking, Brewing and Distilling.
Part 0: Introduction
Alchemy names the ancient art of purifying or perfecting objects by using basic laboratory techniques, some philosophical theory and a pinch of magic. People have always been fascinated by the idea of creating something new from ordinary things: Turning lead into gold, brewing potions of immortality or finding an alkahest - a universal solvent for everything. This urge to research nature has driven people to do experiments like mixing metals as early as 3500 BC. A far more detailed introduction to Alchemy can be found in the book of the same name by Eric John Holmyard [1]. Even though today there is far less magic and mythology involved, Alchemy can be seen as a predecessor of modern sciences like chemistry or pharmacy. An occupation that still feels quiet alchemical is the field of cooking and brewing. Berries, roots, seeds, leaves, ... like the manifold of powders and potions of an old laboratory, combined with techniques of preparation almost as old as mankind itself give rise to their very own kind of magic. Combining different herbs and spices into new mixtures or even making your own alcoholic beverages by distilling, extracting or macerating revives the relics of this arcane and curious artifice. Hence I dubbed this project 'Kitchen Alchemy'.
Fig. 1: An alchemical distilling apparatus called Alembic from the late 18th century, presented in the Nationalmuseum Nürnberg. Source (web)
Project Kitchen Alchemy will not have an intrinsic structure unlike Project Digital Odyssey but rather be like a recipe book. I will present some dishes I cook on a regular basis, describe a couple interesting brewing techniques as well as ingredients and hopefully give you some insights into my own attempt of making gin and other potions.