#6 Arielle Johnson - Food Chemistry, Fermentation, Molecules, Evolution, NOMA

Dr. Arielle Johnson is a chemist, biologist and food scientist. She was the science advisor to Alton Brown on the TV show good eats, is a director’s fellow at MIT media lab and has worked with acclaimed cooks and scientists across the world. She is the chief scientific advisor for Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, which was founded by Rene Redzepi - who also wrote the forward for a recent book, Flavorama: A guide to unlocking the art and science of flavour (available to buy here - https://www.ariellejohnson.com/buy) On the episode we discuss the building blocks of taste and aroma, why you should never underestimate a humans capacity to smell, what it’s like to be a chilli plant, the tools that scientists use to analyse flavour, smoke, campfires and evolution, how ai and biotech might shape the future of flavour, cooking with insects, our favourite flavour molecules, and much more. This episode is available to watch on Youtube in 4k with chapter makers so you can single out the bits that interest you most.