The Noma Guide to Building Flavour - Foundations of Flavor by René Redzepi & Noma Test Kitchen Hardcover

Book Synopsis

Finally, the secret sauce of Noma is revealed--the long-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling The Noma Guide to Fermentation offers more than 150 recipes for infused oils, vinaigrettes, fudges, spice mixes, rubs, sauces, and other flavor-boosting condiments that professional and home cooks can now make and use to elevate every part of their cooking.

Nothing tastes like the food at Noma. Nothing is as delicious, as surprising, as unique. A big part of the reason why is found in the Noma pantry, the seasonings, condiments, sauces, and other flavor compounds developed over two decades by René Redzepi and the Noma test kitchen. And now 150 of these components that define the inimitable taste of Noma--including roasted kelp salt, smoked egg yolk sauce, Nordic pesto, and lacto-koji beurre blanc--are shared in The Noma Guide to Building Flavour. Most of the recipes are illustrated with step-by-step photo sequences detailing the techniques needed to transform surprisingly familiar ingredients into elements of Noma's distinctive cuisine. Noma uses these recipes to create elevated preparations for the restaurant (a selection of gorgeous plated-dish photos are included), but readers--whether professionals or avid home cooks--will find plenty of inspiration for their own kitchens, aided by do-able suggestions from Noma chefs.

In conversational essays and anecdotes woven throughout the book, Redzepi shares how staff members from around the globe have influenced Noma's flavor palette, and how Noma chefs take pristine seasonal ingredients and blend, grind, dry, smoke, macerate, reduce and otherwise elicit the most potent and desirable flavors that make up the sensory language of Noma. Between the narrative portions and the meticulous recipes, chefs and home cooks alike will discover new dimensions of flavor and expand their ideas of what food can be.

Review Quotes

"Brillat-Savarin once wrote that the discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a star. Like a modern Brillat- Savarin, René and the Noma team have developed an entire galaxy of flavors in this new book, giving chefs everywhere the vocabulary to speak-- and cook--an entirely new language in the kitchen."--José Andrés

"Few kitchens have shaped the way we understand food right now as profoundly as Noma. In this book, René shares not only the building blocks of his kitchen but the mindset behind it--the patience, the precision, the pushing of perceived boundaries. The Noma Guide to Building Flavour is a gift to any cook who wants to expand their own boundaries by building a new kind of pantry."
--Yotam Ottolenghi

"I don't think people realize how lucky we are to have a book like this. At a time when food knowledge is more widespread and less definitive than ever, this is a gift. Whether you're a home cook or a pro, there's an incredible amount of knowledge to learn from here."
--David Chang

"In The Noma Guide to Building Flavour, René reveals a philosophy shaped by decades of experimentation and guided by a set of enduring, generous ingredients and unique flavors that lets Noma remain itself even as it boldly transforms."--Thomas Keller

"This extensively illustrated compendium of Noma's path-breaking pantry preparations--pine cone olives! ant salt! roasted kelp oil! savory caramels and fudges!--is an inspiration for curious cooks everywhere."--Harold McGee

"What René Redzepi and the Noma Test Kitchen have created reveals how cooking evolves when curiosity moves without boundaries and research becomes a daily rite. The practices shaped by their steady questioning-- and their willingness to pass on what they learn--echo through kitchens across the world."
--Elena Reygadas

"With this extraordinary book, René Redzepi once again expands our horizons and redefines the world of flavour with remarkable clarity and inspiration."--Ferran Adrià

About the Author

René Redzepi is the chef and co-owner of Noma in Copenhagen, five times recognized as the world's best restaurant. In 2021, Noma was awarded its third Michelin Star. Redzepi has been featured in publications from the New York Times to Wired and profiled in two feature-length documentaries and countless national and international media outlets. His first book, Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, was an IACP and James Beard Award winner, and The Noma Guide to Fermentation was a New York Times bestseller. He lives in Copenhagen with his wife, Nadine Levy Redzepi, their three children, and their dog, Ponzu. Find him on Instagram at @reneredzepinoma and @nomacph.