When most of us think about the concept of future foods we might picture a scene from The Jetsons, where Judy serves her family a capsule which they then put into the rehydrator, ready to eat.
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But future foods are actually those food sources on the cutting edge, food that are not only nutritious but also have a lower impact on the planet: think algaes, beans and pulses, mushrooms, nuts and seeds.
Canberra is lucky to have a grocer and café dedicated to progressive food options.
Bitten Goodfoods owner Alex Howes has personally seen the healing powers of foods for chronic and misunderstood illnesses. Her experiences have been the driver of her Lonsdale St cafe, providing products to help the mind and body adapt in changing times. Her goal is to teach locals how to use food to unleash the full potential of your brain and body. So she's teaming up with chef Dave Young from Temporada for a dinner which will showcase future foods in an accessible way. "The typical way people incorporate a lot of these things is through smoothies because a lot of the time they come in powdered form and it's an easy way," says Howes. "I put the challenge to Dave to see if he could work out ways to incorporate them into a fine dining experience."
Young admits it was quite a challenge.
"You think as a chef you know most of what's out there, but I didn't know much about these ingredients at all," he says.
Two dishes on the menu include oysters with Blue Majik ginger caviar drop. Blue Majik is a chemical free extract of spirulina (arthrospira platensis) microalgae, a nutrient dense aqua-botanical and is a certified organic blue spirulina.
Another dish is Young's evolution of the mushroom ragu served in the Bitten cafe, a superfood mushroom (cordyceps and chaga) tortellini. Mushrooms are a class of adaptogens proven to stimulate the immune system, reduce stress and anxiety, increase energy and reduce fatigue, boost brain power, memory and focus, improve digestion and gut health, nourish and protect skin health and more.
The night will be a cocktail party-like degustation where Young will present a range of substantial canapes.
- Bitten X Futurefoods, at Temporada, Thursday, October 24, 7.30-10pm, tickets $120 via eventbrite includes all food, drinks and a take home gift valued at more than $60.