Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine

by Rene Redzepi, Ditte Isager (Photographer)

Overview

René Redzepi has been widely credited with re-inventing Nordic cuisine. His Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, was recognized as the third best in the world by the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards in 2009 and received the unique ‘Chef’s Choice’ award at the same ceremony. Redzepi operates at the cutting edge of gourmet cuisine, combining an unrelenting creativity and a remarkable level of craftsmanship with an inimitable and innate knowledge of the produce of his Nordic terroir.

At Noma, which Redzepi created from a derelict 18 th  Century warehouse in 2003 after previously working at both elBulli and The French Laundry, diners are served exquisite concoctions, such as ‘Newly-Ploughed Potato Field’ or ‘The snowman from Jukkasjärvi’, all painstakingly constructed to express there amazing array of Nordic ingredients. Redzepi’s fascination with giving his diners a real taste of their food’s environment extends to serving dishes upon pebbles found in the same fields as his produce. His search for ingredients involves foraging amongst local fields for wild produce, sourcing horse-mussels from the Faroe Islands and the purest possible water from Greenland. Redzepi has heightened the culinary themes of seasonal and regionally sourced, sustainable ingredients to an exquisite level, and in doing so has created an utterly delicious cuisine.

Noma is an unprecedented opportunity to learn about Redzepi and Noma’s history and philosophy, the sourcing of ingredients, the experimentation behind the dishes and the cultural significance of dining at Noma. Accompanying this insight into Redzepi’s world will be over 90 of Redzepi’s recipes, by far the most comprehensive collection ever published. The book will also feature a series of specially commissioned photographs, illustrating the food and atmosphere of Noma, as well as the Nordic environment that lies at the heart of Redzepi’s cuisine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780714859033
Publisher:	Phaidon Press
Publication date:	10/04/2010
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	291,536
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 11.90(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

René Redzepi is head chef and owner of Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, where he creates his inventive take on Nordic cuisine with a distinctive emphasis on regional specialities. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s most influential chefs.

Editorial Reviews

Those unable to secure a seat at the World's Best Restaurant 2010, the 12-table Noma near Copenhagen, will have to settle for this massive study of the restaurant and its chef, 32-year-old Rene Redzepi. Even a casual flip will reveal why Redzepi's imaginative combinations and fiercely local approach to sourcing vaulted him over stalwarts like El Bulli: sous vide reindeer shoulder served with celery root rolled in hay ashes and a wild herb gel, a whimsical meringue-based snowman atop buckthorn mousse and carrot sorbet, and a carrot cake-coated ligonberry sorbet served with hay cream are but a few of his spectacularly innovative dishes. While few home cooks will have the equipment, ingredients, or patience to attempt Musk Ox and Fresh Young Garlic or Milk Skin and Caramelized Garlic, fans of molecular gastronomy will have a field day with this ode to meticulous construction and presentation. In the end, whether Redzepi's almost ridiculously complicated dishes reveal a pretentious chef or a passionate one making the most of his ingredients doesn't matter. This is an envelope-pushing exercise that deserves respect. 200 color photos.
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Publishers Weekly

"Yesterday Dana pondered whether it's OK for a cookbook to be so pretty and so impressive that you're afraid to bring it into the kitchen. Noma is one book that might fall into that category. In fact, I would guard it with my life from kitchen stains!"—thekitchn.com

"Rene is a master locavore - the most intense and ingenious I've ever met."—Vogue

"The hottest topic in the food world. While Noma is all about Nordic cuisine, its philosophy is about the cuisine of wherever you are."—Kitchen Daily

"A gorgeous cookbook... Spectacular. Noma is going to influence another generation of cooks."—The Atlantic

"Outstanding photographs that give a real feel for the location."—BBC Good Food magazine

"Evocative and informative... Leaves you hungry for another visit."—Time Out

"One of the most idiosyncratic food books... Jaw-dropping photography... Mouth-watering."—The Independent on Sunday

"A vast, beautiful, intensely reflective and philosophical tome full of recipes."—The Times Saturday magazine

"Part man, part mushroom, all genius, Mr Redzepi is a true original."—The Independent

"Noma is the most important cookbook of the year."—The Wall Street Journal

"Noma is an international sensation."—The New York Times

"The most innovative and beautiful cookbook of the year."—Washington Post

"Since René Redzepi's legendary Copenhagen restaurant Noma closed last year, this 2010 cookbook is kind of a collector's item."—New York Magazine Online

From the Publisher