Murri Cuisine is a gastronomic term used to define a specific philosophy in culinary creation. Originally coined by founder Catalonian chef Josep Thibault, murri (rogue in Catalan) refers to the unique method of cooking and dish presentation based on the coarse and harsh treatment of its basic ingredients.
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Concept history
The concept for murri cuisine was derived in early 2011, when Thibault was mountain‑tracking in the Catalan mountains and chanced upon a group of villagers in the midst of an afternoon meal. He noted that the meats that were prepared boasted an unusually tender bite enhanced by the simplicity of its form similar to a chunk of rock.
Following a close study of the complexities involving the form and how it affects the texture and taste of the resulting dish, Thibault officially introduced murri cuisine during a closed-door meeting session with highly acclaimed chefs from around the world at the annual Chef Cuisinier Gastronomique 11/12 in Paris. This highly intricate form of deconstructive cuisine variant is touted to become the next wave in haute cuisine and most highly sought after technique to be adopted by established chefs in Europe and Asia with the gradual decline of molecular gastronomy in recent years.
Publicity
In a recent interview with The Food Channel (aired on 16 August 2011), Thibault also referred to murri cuisine as "Fossilised Food (notably different from the fossilised American braising technique)" because of the raw nature of its treatment. Similar to the Sous Vide technique utilised in French cuisine, murri cooking requires all ingredients to be cooked in an air-tight pressurised container for extremely long periods of time, rendering them close in texture to soft fossils. When presented, every ingredient must also retain its original form, most notably in chunks and particles. Vegetables, roasted and ground to powder, act as the main garnishing on the plate, assuming the likeness of fecund earth to complement the appearance of the meats. "The aim is to present the best of Mother Earth, in close to what we are used to seeing, the soil, leaves, ocean and sky. That is when we form a connection with the universe." said Thibault.
Relatively new and still in its experimental stages, other chefs have begun to experiment with murri/fossilised cuisine. These include renowned French chef Andrea Toulouse and Kim Salinger from New York. Chefs who have presented full menus of murri cuisine have commented that force and upper body strength are pre-requisites for slapping the large piles of meat into soft, volatile consistency.