A new generation of foods is being developed in the laboratory of a Swiss start-up. The founders of Food Brewer want to revolutionise cocoa and coffee production. They see a future in which food, sustainability and tradition coexist. But what are the ethical, cultural and environmental implications of novel foods? What does lab-grown chocolate taste like? It is good – surprisingly good. At first, it resists between the teeth, just by the right amount, before breaking into many pieces. It then releases its classic pleasant aromas on the tongue, in a balanced harmony of sweetness and bitterness. Finally, once partially melted, the chocolate leaves a symphony of flavours in the mouth that evoke faraway places. This sensory experience may conjure up images of a traditional chocolate-maker’s workshop. Instead, we are in the aseptic, sterile and colourless environment of the pilot production site of the start-up Food Brewer. On the work surfaces are the instruments of scientific research ...
