Culture

Goodbye to sugar? Homaro Cantu on how to trick your taste buds

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Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche can only be described as the mad scientists of food. These two pioneer unique food delivery systems — think maki rolls printed on flavored paper, a dessert disguised as nachos  and a bleeding veggie burger — at their Chicago restaurants, Moto and iNG. At TED 2011, the pair spoke about their science-lab approach to food in the talk “Cooking as alchemy.”

Homaro Cantu + Ben Roche: Cooking as alchemy Homaro Cantu + Ben Roche: Cooking as alchemy Embedded in this talk is a crazy idea — using “miracle berries” to trick taste buds into thinking that sour foods are sweet. As Cantu explains, these berries contain a glycoprotein which could be used to make healthy junk food. Cantu explains in the talk, “We could eliminate sugar across the board for all confectionary products and sodas, and we can replace it with all-natural fresh fruit.”

Last week, Cantu wrote on his talk page, “After eight long years everyone, I have finally completed my first step towards the end of refined sugar.” He has released a cookbook called The Miracle Berry Diet Cookbook. It shares food trickery like how a lemon can be made to taste like lemonade, and a delicious ice cream that can be made with zero sugar. Watch above as Cantu discusses some of these fascinating recipes on the TV show “Windy City Live.”

Cantu wants to show exactly how he and his chefs cooked up these taste bud-bending recipes. He is raising funds for an online series called “Cooking Under Pressure.” Check out the promo for the show below and fund the series via Kickstarter.