"italy bans molecular gastronomy" news and stories

Now that Spain's famed El Bulli is closing, Ferran Adrià might have a little free time on his hands. If he's planning a vacation, however, he'd do well to steer clear of Italy. The country that founded the Slow Food Movement has banned the ingredients necessary to make the foams, fusions and textures found in molecular gastronomy. Commonly called "powders," the chemicals are largely thought to be harmless, and Adrià himself manufactures a line of them, called "Texturas."

But Italian Ministry of Health secretary Francesca Martini explained the legislation as a move to protect consumers from additives, though it all sounds a little bit odd. For starters, the ban is only in effect for a year (it expires at the end of December). Italian food blog Caput Mundi Cibus, which reported the news, thinks the whole thing reeks of a publicity stunt, pointing out that the government is also trying to ban liquid nitrogen by legislating against the "storage and use of any gaseous substance." (Liquid nitrogen isn't a gas, it's a liquid.) From a tourism perspective, it makes sense to publicize your commitment to carefully prepared, additive-free food in a country where it's prized above all else.