From March 28 to 31, 2011, the Department of Food Sciences at the USEK Faculty of Agricultural Sciences organized a series of lectures on “Molecular Gastronomy: a multidisciplinary science”, given by Prof. Hervé This.
Prof. Hervé This is a physical chemist at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Consultant Professor at AgroParisTech and Scientific Director of the Fondation Science & Culture Alimentaire – France. He is the co-founder, with Nicholas Kurti, of the scientific discipline named “molecular gastronomy”.
Molecular gastronomy consists in the search of mechanisms related to phenomena which occur during culinary processes. It is therefore a scientific discipline whose purpose is to contribute to the development of culinary knowledge. Among its objectives is the scientific exploration of the technical, artistic and social aspects of cooking.
The lectures were addressed to various audiences: lectures researchers, high school instructors, food industries, cooks and university students specializing in hotel management.
The purpose of the lectures and the visit of Prof. Hervé This to the USEK Faculty of Agricultural Sciences is to initiate collaboration among the concerned parties, having in common a Lebanese culinary heritage abundant with resources and richness, as well as sharing a common objective, that of scientific exploration of the Lebanese experience richness in order to modernize cooking, while seeking a consensual combination of past and present.
The scientific contribution and support of Prof. This will help in strengthening the already initiated axis of molecular gastronomy at the Faculty in order to spread this concept among all actors in Lebanon interested in the field.
The USEK Faculty of Agricultural Sciences seeks therefore to guarantee the continuity of this plan through the creation of a Lebanese group of molecular gastronomy which would take off from Lebanon and spread thereafter in the countries of the Middle East. This university group can be open to various audiences as it was the case in the seminars that took place during this week in order to maintain collaboration between the academic / scientific world and the food sector in terms of gastronomy and food production.
The series of lectures was organized in partnership with the AUF, Horeca and the USEK Hotel Management Department – Cordon Bleu.
Prof. Hervé This organized the first Lebanese seminar gathering scientists and cooks in the kitchen of Sofil-Catering in order to discuss the relevance of some Lebanese culinary sayings. Other Lebanese seminars will follow with the follow up of the USEK Faculty of Agricultural Sciences.
The various Lebanese audiences who attended the lectures were highly receptive of such a new, innovative and creative initiative, particularly aiming to ensure the openness of the Faculty to the society which surrounds it, along with the creation of a Lebanese group of molecular gastronomy.