This year, Gastro Obscura investigated Some of the most visually striking creations in the culinary world. In the hands of the right chef, raw meat becomes an adorable little hedgehog, butter sculpts into a human face, and gingerbread transforms into the New York City skyline: 2022 can be both fun and disturbing The food was his art feast.
Diana Hubbell, Associate Editor
From the truffle-encrusted towers of 18th-century royal banquets to the sword skewers and lobster-crusted creations of fine dining restaurants in the late 1800s, Aspic has long served as a platform for culinary showmanship. I was. But in mid-20th century America, gelatin took a strange turn. In this delightful Deep Her Dive, Diana Her Hubbell explores why American cooks have embraced jelly creations that have pushed the boundaries of deliciousness with such enthusiasm.
Sam O’Brien, Senior Editor
In September of this year, I visited the Minnesota State Fair on a mission. Some people are looking for fair fries and award-winning livestock, but I came for butter sculptures. Pose for an artist who carves a caricature of The women are finalists in the Princess Cay of the Milky Way contest, which honors young workers in the local dairy industry. This year, for the first time in 50 years, a new sculptor, Gerry Kulzer, entered the competition. I visited his Kulzer at the Butterbooth to see how he trained for this rare gig, what it’s like to sculpt in a 40 degree room, and the butter bust the winner completed. We talked about how to
Sam Lin-Sommer, Editorial Fellow
Gingerbread houses tend to look like little cottages from Hansel and Gretel, with gumdrop doors and white icing shingles. But in Great Borough Bake-Off, gingerbread takes the form of New York skyscrapers, pillared mansions, and even the Staten Island Ferry. Hosted by the Museum of the City of New York, the competition challenges professional and amateur bakers to recreate the New York scene with gingerbread, icing and candy. The winning pieces are edible pieces that beautifully represent everything from Brooklyn brownstones to subway trains, all of which are on display in his museum until January 8, 2023.
Rachel Glasberg
These amazingly adorable snacks grace the tables at parties all over Germany.A tiny creature carved out of raw pork, with onion spines and pepper eyes.this is Metigel, or meat hedgehog, a German cult classic with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. In this piece, Rachel Glasberg examines the roots of this unusual tradition and the artists who take it to new heights (including the creation of “Matigel Damon”).
Sam Lin-Sommer, Editorial Fellow
In 2019, Chinese-British author Jenny Lau launched a project to interview chefs, food writers and food artists from the Chinese diaspora. After her 100th interview, she celebrated the achievement with an exhibition and asked the artist to describe her answer to the question, “What does home taste like?” The resulting 100 pieces of her Mantou From pans floating in space, to sunny foragers hiking through the wilds of California, to warmly lit night scenes of fried chicken carts in Taipei. Since the exhibition was digital, you can still see 100 illustrations on the project website.
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