Lounge
For Chef Massimo Bottura food is all about art and poetry
Summary
Ranked as one of the best chefs in the world, Bottura takes inspiration from his collection of art, vinyl records and books to create edible bitesA conversation with Massimo Bottura, rated as one of the best chefs in the world, is a smorgasbord of ideas. From sculptures by American artist Duane Hanson, Bob Dylan songs and art by Damien Hirst, to shaping culture of the future and the urgent need to tackle food waste, he flits from topic to topic, offering a glimpse of the churning of his mind.
“No one understands my mind, not even artificial intelligence," laughs Bottura. He was in India recently at the invitation of Culinary Culture to showcase the best from Osteria Francescana, his three-Michelin-star restaurant in Modena, Italy.
To him, food is not just about a style of cooking or the quality of ingredients. “It’s about the quality of ideas, it’s about art and poetry. Pablo Picasso once said that it took him four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child. I am cooking like a kid now—always wanting to add something new," Bottura says when we meet at The Leela Palace New Delhi.
It would be best not to view his food in isolation, as everything around him comes together to influence his cuisine, be it his large collection of art, vinyl records or books. “I read, I listen, I look, I am interested in what is around me. I don’t read to read. Sometimes I am watching television, but if you ask me what is happening in the programme, I won’t be able to tell you. I get so lost in a thought or in what I am doing. That is how creativity is. I take all these influences and those ideas become edible bites," he elaborates.
In an October 2023 article in the Financial Times about Casa Maria Luigia, an 18th-century house that has been converted into a guesthouse by Bottura and his wife, Lara Gilmore, in Modena, he likened his creative process to that of artist Ai WeiWei, whose triptych adorns the main hall and shows the artist dropping a Han Dynasty urn. “I think Ai Weiwei stole my idea," Bottura had joked.
Also read: Warm breads, strawberry sloffen hearts at a Dutch bakery in Kochi
“(Bottura) has been breaking with tradition in his kitchen for almost 30 years. Dining at Francescana at Maria Luigia offers guests the chance to try iconoclastic dishes such as ‘Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart’ that made Bottura famous," states the Financial Times piece about the parallels between the chef and the artist. To help newer chefs to find their own style of edible poetry, both Casa Maria Luigia and Osteria Francescana offer small laboratories, where ideas can be tested. It is this experimented language, which can be seen at his new restaurant, Al Gatto Verde, launched last year in Modena. Helmed by Canadian chef Jessica Rosval, the seasonal wood-fired menu—tasting and a la carte—features dishes such as ‘Pasta Arsa’, or pasta burned on flames and served with duck leg, maple syrup and pistachio, and ‘Mare e Melone’, which is seaweed smokes white melon, sea water and marine herbs.
To him, this is part of shaping a sense of culture for his team, whom he calls his family. “Culture is the most important ingredient for the chef of the future," he says. “Future is not a place, it is a state of mind, and to arrive at that, you have to be very creative. People might not always understand what you are doing at the time you are doing it. 25 years ago, no one was listening to me. Now, of course, things are easier," he says. For instance, when Bottura started out, nearly every chef wanted to dabble in French cuisine. However, he broke with tradition and stuck to his Italian culinary heritage, and in the process created a contemporary version of it.
One of his most successful dishes—and a provocative one when it was created back in the 1990s—is the ‘Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in Different Textures and Temperatures’. It looked at the transformation that took place in the cheese over time, giving it maturity, taste and texture. The Parmigiano Reggiano at different ages turns into a demi-souffle, a mousse, a liquid cream, a wafer and also “air", or cloud made of Parmigiano. “The secret is walking into the kitchen with doubts, and always asking yourself questions. To answer these questions, you have to create something new. Always leave yourself space for poetry," says Bottura.
Also read: Recipes to plan a ‘Tasty Tiffin’ for school
The chef has made tackling food waste one of his life’s missions. A Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Environment Programme, Bottura is also the founder of the not-for-profit group Food for Soul. The latter pushes for sustainability and waste reduction in food production. As part of it, he also started Refettorios, or community hubs, in 2016 in cities such as New York, Sydney and Paris, to make use of ingredients that are discarded by supermarkets, food manufacturers, farms and other producers.
“Partnering with architects, artists and community leaders, the project is transforming underutilised spaces such as vacant churches and even a historical home into intentionally designed cultural centres equipped with kitchens, dining rooms and other facilities that help foster a sense of wellbeing, connection and inclusion," stated a November article in BBC last year.
To him, the project is also about dealing with social isolation. Bottura quotes from The Rebel by Albert Camus, who wrote, “Beauty, no doubt, does not make revolutions. but a day will come when revolutions will have need of beauty." He adds, “When you have to rebuild the souls of the most fragile people, you need beauty. This is what we do."
This extends to his restaurants. In 2022, Osteria Francescana was awarded 99 Michelin Green Star in recognition of his commitment to a sustainable food production system. His team has envisioned having a soup kitchen alongside every restaurant they create. Meanwhile Bottura continues to soak in inspiration like a sponge wherever he goes. “I am listening to everything. ‘Everything’ is a powerful word, one that is full of possibilities. It is a difficult albeit an amazing word if you know how to manage it," he says.
