Mind the Gap

• Francesca Attadio (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Dicussion

Food Pairing Unveiled: Exploring Recipe Creation Dynamics through Recommender Systems

• Giovanni Palermo

Over 20 years ago, three-Michelin-star chef Heston Blumenthal accidentally discovered that white chocolate and caviar make a perfect pairing. Intrigued, he had the two ingredients analyzed and found that they share many aromatic compounds. Blumenthal thus formulated the “food pairing” hypothesis and began creating Michelin-starred dishes by combining seemingly unusual ingredients—with extraordinary results.Thanks to the data we now have on thousands of recipes and ingredients, along with bipartite network analysis techniques, we are now able to scientifically test the food pairing hypothesis and, most importantly, create new and incredible gourmet combinations.

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