Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine

by René Redzepi

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

René Redzepi has been widely credited with re-inventing Nordic cuisine. His Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, was recognized as the #1 best in the world by the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards in April 2010 after receiving the "Chef’s Choice" award in 2009. 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 eighteenth-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 Jukkasjarvi, all painstakingly constructed to express their amazing array of Nordic ingredients. 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 philosophy of seasonally and regionally sourced sustainable ingredients to an unprecedented level, and in doing so has created an utterly delicious cuisine. At the age of 32, Redzepi is one of the most influential chefs in the world.

Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine will offer an exclusive insight into the food, philosophy and creativity of René Redzepi. It will reveal the first behind the scenes look at the restaurant, Noma, and will feature over 90 recipes as well as excerpts from Redzepi’s diary from the period leading up to the opening of the restaurant and texts on some the most enigmatic of Noma’s suppliers. The book will include 200 new specially commissioned color photographs of the dishes, unique local ingredients and landscapes from across the Nordic region. It will also include a foreword by the artist Olafur Eliasson.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Culinary, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Foodie

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Floating to add this awesome portrait of the author:




Out of respect for Redzepi's emphasis on the interconnectedness of environment, taste, appearance and other factors leading to the final experience of consuming a dish, I will attempt to consider all the aspects of this book in my review. Because it is first way in which one encounters a book, I will begin with book as object. NOMA is large and heavy. The title is oversized and arty. It correctly communicates the weighty ideas and glossy images one finds inside. Very coffee-table-for-intellectuals. The quality of paper, binding, and photography is all very high. This book takes itself seriously, as does the author. The mixed-off-whites color scheme and modern fonts are true to the Scandinavian aesthetic that Redzepi promotes. As an object, the book is beautiful.

Unfortunately, appearance is only a part of the reading experience. As already stated, the book is heavy and large. Awkwardly so. It was uncomfortable to hold and I had a hard time finding a place to read it. I ended up placing it on the kitchen table, but even that wasn't very satisfactory because of its size. Despite the large pages, the print in most sections is rather small (art books seem to require huge margins these days) and I had to lean forward over the book to read the tops of the pages. This was hard on my spine and made it difficult to read much at a time, which is too bad because the introductory essays were my favorite part. This book is emblematic of what happens when one prioritizes appearance over functionality.

The same can be said about the food itself. Visually, it is beautifully styled and plated and photographed. It is art. In fact, if I saw an image out of context I would guess that it was glass or stone rather than edible materials. It stimulated my appetite less than any recent book on food I can think of. Of course this doesn't make a practical difference because I'm not scheduled for a trip to Copenhagen and the ingredients are impossible to obtain fresh here -- and fresh is the whole point of NOMA's the culinary philosophy. But pretending for the moment that I in fact possessed the opportunity to eat there, would I? Well, yes. There is some novel stuff here, and anyway I'll try anything once, or even twice. NOMA's menu is highly seasonal so maybe if it wasn't horrible the first time (and I had lots of money and time) I'd try it again at a different time of year. Redzepi himself admits that lack of repeat custom is a serious problem for the restaurant.

Philosophically I found the approach to food very interesting. Redzepi's idea is that dishes should not be only seasonal and local but also environmental, not necessarily in the "green" sense but in that they recreate ecological systems by serving things that live together or eat one another, such as wild boar with roots and berries and leaves. Here is a description of one such dish:

A plateful of milk skin with grass, flowers and herbs... The garnish came from the field where the cow that had supplied the milk had walked, grazed and defecated. The plate itself was a small ecosystem... my mouth was exploring very area of the field.

Now, I'm very attuned to terroir, but to me, this is far more interesting than appetizing. It is food for your mind, not your mouth. Redzepi is quite young and I think he makes the mistake of many young chefs in prioritizing originality over all else. Sometimes there's a reason no one has done something before. Sometimes, it is because it isn't good.

So while not in any way inspired to try more modern Scandinavian food, I did enjoy this book as a thinker, if less so as a reader or gourmand.

And if you ever need an intellectual argument to convince some one to try -- I mean really try, not take one bite, say "There, I tried it and I don't like it" -- new foods, here it is:

We are constantly confronted with a trivialized sensory world, largely the product of banal commercialization. The makers of that world aim for 'safe' sensations, selling experiences with which their target group can immediately identify. As a result, the individual's imaginative ability is levelled off to become the same for everybody. The senses are blunted.
...When you work with a language of very delicate shades of meaning -- in cooking as well as in art -- it gives access to a subtle and unfamiliar register of experience. You come closer to the limits of your sensory values. The senses combine, stretching your brain, and a new synaesthetic map appears.

[julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an absolutely gorgeous book. a coffee table book more than a cookbook, tho' it does have recipes. gorgeously-photographed recipes. the most interesting part is the introduction and rené's diary from the journey he took in the early days of NOMA. the insights and what they're doing to transform cooking and the thinking about cooking in scandinavia (and the world) are absolutely phenomenal. i don't think i'll try to cook anything from it, but it has me thinking about local ingredients and flavors in a whole new way. i borrowed it from the library, but definitely want to own this book.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty and all but who on earth is sourcing the ingredients for "pickled sea lettuce mousse" or whatever for a casual Tuesday night

[Foxthyme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this cookbook is in a category all of its own. The if I become a millionaire, maybe I can go eat in this voted World's Best Restaurant. It has won this award at least 3 years in a row. Perhaps that's how long the wait list would be too.

The pictures are food art. The food is art as well. If you could make the most exquisite and tasty food look as earthy, tantalizing, and visually striking as possible, this is the book.

I wasn't sure if I liked how the book started with all of the pictures, then was followed by the all recipes. But I realized after a time that I did. It allows you to immerse yourself in the images.

There are some extraordinary ingredients used. But a large majority of the recipes are modifiable to home. I pick this book up often, just to gawk at the photos.

[Frédéric Bourgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably a cornerstone among books written on the history of a restaurant. And I'm not only saying that because the book is massive in shape, but also massive in content. The approach taken in this books is quite classic, but the approach depicted in the book and the one taken by the restaurant are original ones.
This is not a cookbook. It probably feeds more your mind and conception of cooking that your stomach.

[Kassie Borreson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a combination coffee table/art book and a cookbook. The full page pictures are absolutely stunning, and worth the purchase alone. Though you may have trouble finding some of the ingredients if you live outside of Denmark, the recipes are a pleasure to read and quite inspiring. Phaidon always seems to produce, impressive, beautiful and thoughtful tomes, and this book is no exception.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book even though making any of these recipes is impossible here in the States since the whole idea is using fresh Nordic ingredients. I still found the book fascinating and inspiring- I want to make malt "dirt", birch broth, and crazy flavored granitas! I love the concept of preparing foods with wild ingredients from the same environment. And the photographs are gorgeous.

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a cooking book. This is art. Read it!

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the layout and the essays. Even reading through the recipes, there was an understanding that the person reading this book can cook. Techniques are described like a grandmother with some precision.

There are a few interesting techniques but the real joy described is the ingredients. He works hard at drawing the connection between land, producers and lastly, the restaurant. The sources take as much space as the chef.

If I was running a restaurant or wanted to replicate that lifestyle of foraging, then this would be a good resource book. It is beautiful and well told. It is as magical as reading a fantasy book. The fairy tale life doesn't show all the hard work of the kitchen staff and just glosses over it in favour of occasional farmers, fishermen and foragers. Maybe that is enough of a takeaway. Integrate your life even a little with natural time.

[Martha Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing in this book is remotedly feasible as far the amateur cook is concerned. That might be an exageration. The book is, however, absolutely gorgeous and brilliantly thought through. There should probably be hundreds of cuisines similarly attached to place from the Australian badlands to Washington cloud forests.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a beautiful thing Noma is. In all seriousness, this is very advanced cooking and techniques. I loved it, but I am classically trained and have recently dived into modernist techniques. That said, there are plenty of things to learn here and be amazed by the ingredients and presentations.

[Foodbooksmostly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stands the test of time. One of the best restaurant books ever.

[Sara Zakaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a pleasure to read about Rene Redzepi's ideas and his huge passion for nordic cuisine. The book is very detailed, creative and super inspirational.

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do you want to look at beautiful photos of exquisite & artistic culinary masterpieces and imagine what they could possibly taste like? I don't. Nice book, not my thing.

[Riegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

basically just food porn

[Pajiba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, as well as fucking absurd.

[Cari Sly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got to read about one of my favorite chefs, inspiring, innovative, and LOVE the recipes in the back.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful, if not terribly useful.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible

[Moe A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool.

[Katherine]

After some discussion about this cookbook, the conclusion was that it is "willfully difficult and intentionally arcane."

The first half is all photographs of the food, of people, of bits of twigs, etc. Nice photographs, for sure. The second half of the book is the recipes. The recipes request such ingredients as:
- Small shallots from the island of Laeso
- Organic eggs, each weighing approximately 55g
- Cladonia lichen
- Mustard from Gotland

The recipes don't follow in order to their pictures - you're flipping all over the place to find the corresponding photograph of the food.

I DO believe, though, that this could be some of the most amazing food to eat in the entire world, and am looking forward to someday going to Noma.

[Shadow Pressing On Cracking Karma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photos that are illustrated in this book are simply stunning. Some NOMA dishes are so incredible even to look at that I tend to just do it over and over like they were a work of art. In this particular case, I can do it with no chance for time to compromise the flavor...
I like how part of the ingredients of New Nordic Cuisine is presented through the pages which I found to be particularly profound.

The recipes are HARD and require a significant background and set of kitchen appliances to be performed, but nothing - except maybe the difficulty in finding the raw ingredients if you happen to live outside of Scandinavia - prevents you from being inspired and reinterpreting them, which I believe is a much more thoughtful process than just replying.

[False · Rating 1 out of 5]

Continually called "the cutting edge of Nordic cuisine." Yes, he applauds using regional ingredients, but when I tell you the first recipe is for "milk skin with grass" and the other recipes include powdered reindeer antler with moss or pumpkin with pickled herring and walnut juice...where do you even FIND walnut juice (answer: you have to make it.)Milk ice, barley, poached egg and liquorice. Cloudberries from Pitea, burnt meringue and herbal tea...first problem...you have to go to Pitea. Birch wood dessert, Cooked leeks in caramelized pork stock, ashes and hazelnut. You know? I think I'll pass on all of that.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing in this book is remotedly feasible as far the amateur cook is concerned. That might be an exageration. The book is, however, absolutely gorgeous and brilliantly thought through. There should probably be hundreds of cuisines similarly attached to place from the Australian badlands to Washington cloud forests.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars for the inspiring, ridiculous recipes (which I'll likely never attempt) and gorgeous photos. One star for the labored purple prose of Rune Skyum-Nielsen, who penned two long introductory essays.

[Vuk Trifkovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book! Photography is stunning and the recipes are not as unapproachable as I feared they might be. Sure, it's not everyday cooking, but reckon there's enough in there to tone it down and adapt to a more prosaic dinners.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only about 40 pages of backstory, journal, information...etc. before a beautiful book of food photography, as well as some stunning and complex recipes. It's a fantastic snapshot of one of the top restaurants/chefs in the world.

[Lana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a "Chefs" book. The attention to detail is remarkable. It is complicated. It is rewarding. Inspiring dishes and photographs. A great coffee table book.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful - impossible recipes, locally sourced ingredient photos, well put together plate shots, snippets from his diary, the history of the restaurant, it's all here!

[Diana Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for the photography alone. These recipes are not for home cooks. Read it for the chef's approach to cooking at his restaurant.