Carmen Vecchione
D-Limousine belly salad with puntarelle and mustard by Gian Pietro e Giorgio Damini
Dall'Italia Prato Nevoso, montagna & cibo. Viaggio nella località del Cuneese che cresce anche grazie alla gastronomia
Harold McGee and Ryan King on stage at Identità Milano 2023 (photo by Brambilla / Serrani)
Harold McGee is one of the world's most knowledgeable food science researchers and popularisers. His book On food and cooking, published almost forty years ago in 1984, is a milestone that has influenced generations of cooks - classic and avant-garde - and contributed decisively to raising gastronomy to the same level as the more traditional sciences.
For this reason, the presence of Harold McGee (find his official website here) on the stage of Identità Milano 2023 as the first real speaker of the day after Davide Rampello's introduction, made us very proud. Gabriele Zanatta of Identità Golose and British culinary journalist Ryan King introduced him on stage, and later talked with McGee in front of the Auditorium audience.
In the search for answers to these questions, Harold McGee started to explore smell and aromas: “The true complexity of our sensations regarding taste is derived from the sense of smell. This is why I speak of aromas and not flavours, because it is from the combination of taste and smell that we experience this pleasure. By studying the role of the sense of smell in the process, I realised that in both inhaling and exhaling we gather information and sensations. And by controlling these two phases of breathing, we can better capture sensory information.”
The audience listens to Harold McGee's talk (on the right, in the front rows, there’s chef Andoni Luis Aduriz from Mugaritz)
In search of new, fascinating revolutions.
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
Journalist, based in Milan. At 8 years old, he received a Springsteen record as a gift, and nothing was the same since. Music and food are his passions. Author and broadcaster at Radio Popolare since 1997, since 2014 he became part of the staff of Identità Golose
All photos are by Brambilla-Serrani
Paolo Marchi’s words representing the Identità Milano 2023 congress. All photos from Brambilla-Serrani