FASHIONABLE FOOD
René Redzepi, chef and co-owner of Copenhagen’s Noma, talks insects, inspiration, and the new Nordic cuisine
A chat with Danish Chef René Redzepi
WHAT’S A FOOD TREND YOU FIND INTRIGUING?
People are cooking more vegetables, especially on a restaurant level. Vegetables are becoming more than side dishes—really, they’re the stars of the show.
HOW DOES ONE STAY CREATIVE?
You try to be as playful as possible; you fool around and accept failure.
WHAT IS THE LAST THING THAT INSPIRED YOU?
Mulberries. They’re unlike any berry you will ever taste. They are the queen and the king and the emperor of berries, times two. They are harder to find than truffles, so a bowlful of them with a few flowers sprinkled on top is the ultimate luxury. Then, just sit there and indulge.
WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT DISH YOU’VE PREPARED?
It’s been a huge challenge to win people over to the idea of insects on the menu—for example, in the form of fermented grasshoppers, or a lemony ant paste we use to cure meat. But even Westerners have grown accustomed to the notion that there are delicious bugs out there. It’s the flavour that convinces people.
WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MEAL?
A few years ago, my wife organised for me to take a Saturday off. When I came home she surprised me with a five-course meal that she had practised and tested with the sous-chef in the restaurant. She had made pickled vegetables in a brown butter, truffle, and egg yolk sauce, and brussels sprout leaves with fried potato peels and a beurre blanc sauce with lumpfish roe. It was a very good meal.
WHAT IS YOUR NEXT GOAL?
To convince my wife to have more children. ■