Art has infinite definitions, and there is no way to limit them to a certain style, taste, or pattern. In Latin, “art” means a way of acting or being, and it can be a profession, a natural or an acquired skill.
For some, it can also be seen as knowledge, vision, or contemplation, and for Romanticism, it is seen as an expression, making it alive. According to a Portuguese writer, Fernando Pessoa, “science describes things as how they are; art, how they are felt, how we feel they are”.
In short, art is like the experience, the knowledge, and the expression. It is the existence, or not, of a process that leads to the creation of something beautiful, with all its theoretical, technical, personal, and social implications. So, in addition to the styles of making art that we already know, could cooking also be considered a way of making art? If you want to find out the answer to that question and understand if that is possible, stick around!
The Culinary Art
As we’ve mentioned above, the concept of art includes everything that expresses itself, coming from a natural or an acquired skill, so why couldn’t cooking fit into that description?
The “culinary art” is the art of preparing and making food. A professional in this area is responsible for the meticulous preparation of meals, which are pleasing to both the palate and the eye, requiring more knowledge of food science and notions of diet and nutrition that most people realize. It is the development and refinement of a highly specific language. You have to benefit from the ingredients you use, but also in the way in which you present that food, showing the underlying concepts, the experiences, and feelings transmitted and induced through a dish.
In gastronomy, creativity and emotional compositions have great weight. A meal can and should be a multisensory experience, awakening all the senses we have, and it can be compared to other artistic-cultural events, such as going to an exhibition, an opera, a theater, reading a good book, or a concert – in short, events and happenings that stimulate us physically and intellectually, not leaving us indifferent.
It is not usual for cooking to be considered an art form, but it is also an act of self-expression, knowing yourself, learning through new recipes, or creating your own, so even as a hobby, it remains an art.
Can Cooking Also Be Considered a Science?
The act of cooking can be an excellent example of the fusion of science and art, as we’re not only talking about the sensations that it can bring, but also the entire physical process for the person who is preparing it.
This scientific process starts when you go to the market, or to your pantry, to collect the ingredients to make the recipe. At that moment, you identify what is good, and what would work best mixed to create incredible flavors, so it can even be said that cooking is a chemical process. In carrying out any culinary dish, you need to be sure of the temperature, quantity, proportions, and consistency, or else the dish is already considered a major disaster.
Did you know that, in 1600, modern science began to influence the way we prepare food? Today, with the recent application of culinary science, it teaches us how to improve the nutritional quality of the food we prepare and eat, reducing the risk of developing a series of chronic diseases and increasing our overall quality of life.
Can Cooking Make You Connect With the World?
Cooking is a very appetizing therapy, and today, with a technological world, we have a constant need to stay connected with everything and everyone. Even more with this pandemic time, as the life we knew is different, costing absolutely nothing, not even time, to try to improve or start a new hobby.
People want to get their hands dirty, they want to take, knead, stir, mix, and share, but why is that? Because cooking is a constant act of love, dedication, patience, and relaxation. It is a collective act of gratitude and rescue of memories passed from generation to generation.
Creating, multiplying, sharing, and serving is on the rise again. The new is an old acquaintance of ours that we thought was no longer useful. Just watch the trillions of cooking videos shared on YouTube, on Facebook pages, on Instagram stories and reels, and on TV – cooking connects us not only with ourselves but with the whole world. It ends up making us feel good, calm, relaxed, with a company or not, and in addition to being a way of making and creating art, and science, it is also a way of breaking free, releasing all the pain that exists within us, allowing to create, surprise, conquer and remember something we enjoy.
Final thoughts
So, to conclude, cooking is an art, whether it be done professionally, for an extra income, as a hobby or as therapy, it is for you to continue cooking for more and more pleasure. Because with it you can retrieve childhood memories, aromas, and flavors, as well as people you once knew and lived with.
Food inspires, educates our lives, and satisfies our bellies and hearts, which is simply the most important thing. Thanks for reading and have a fun cooking!