Cooking with computers: the vision of digital gastronomy

The intersection between the ancient cultures of gastronomy with the emerging field of computer science can open up significant opportunities for both disciplines. This statement emanates from the following: (1) many scholars and industrial organizations are exploring the integration of digital tools within the food sector, (2) there is an increasing awareness of sustainability issues resulting from the ways we produce and consume food, and (3) society is moving toward customized dietary experiences. Thus the application of computers to this sector can potentially help personalize dishes by combining the nutritional value of food and the physiological information of diners; it can minimize waste by digitally making use of the long expiry date of dried, powder-based food; and it can provide cooks with digital tools oriented toward expanding their own peculiarities as culinary artists. This novel integration needs to occur in a hybrid way, respecting the creative, artisanal side of cooking while leveraging accurate and structured computational models for chefs. This work seeks to exemplify the possibilities that can emerge from transforming a traditional dish into a digitally influenced culinary creation. It also serves to set out embryonic guidance toward a shared theoretical framework in which chefs and engineers can communicate. In addition, the following investigation reflects, with practical experiments, how the interaction between computers, chefs, and diners can be shaped in the coming years.