IKEA's research lab Space10 has released Future Food Today, a cookbook filled with foods of the future, from mealworm burgers to algae hotdogs. In a Dezeen exclusive, we bring you three of the best recipes to try at home.
Future Food Today, created in collaboration with design agency Barkas, features a range of "future-proof" recipes for dishes that are good for our health and the planet.
From homegrown spirulina buns to mushroom ramen, the recipes steer clear of unsustainable sources of protein, instead basing meals around micro-algae, insects and other eco-friendly ingredients.
"Although we cannot predict the future, we know that the way we consume and produce food must drastically change if we hope to make it better," said Space10. "In the next 35 years, our demand for food will increase by 70 per cent, and we simply do not have the resources to achieve this demand on today's diet."
"Close the gap" between future trends and real life
Each innovative recipe was developed in the test kitchen of Space10's headquarters in Copenhagen.
Space10 hopes that the book can "close the gap between future food trends and what actually happens in people's kitchens".
"Some of the recipes call for ingredients you may not have seen before, others are good old kitchen classics," said Space10 chef and food designer Simon Perez.
"We wanted to engage as many people as possible in this conversation, from well seasoned gourmandes to aspirational foodies," he added. "It really is a book for everyone, as long as you have a curious mind and have an interest in exploring a more sustainable future."
Here are three recipes for you to try at home:
Bug Burger
Cooks can save 2,000 litres of water by going meat-free with Space10's modern spin on the classic burger, which uses mealworms and beetroots in place of the regular beef patty. Recipe serves 10.
Ingredients
Potatoes, 200 grams
Beetroots, 800 grams
Parsnips, 200 grams
Mealworms, 50 grams
Dried, blended shiitake mushrooms, 115 grams
Salt, ½ teaspoon
Clear rapeseed oil, four tablespoons
Psyllium husk, 220 grams
Wheat flour, 20 grams
Method
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Put the potatoes, beetroots and parsnips on a baking tray, cover with foil and roast for about 1.5 hours or until the vegetables are completely tender. Let cool, then cut into bite-sized chunks.
Step 2: Fry the mealworms and shiitake mushrooms in a pan with the salt and oil at medium heat until they're well browned. Let them cool.
Step 3: Mix the mealworms, roasted vegetables and rapeseed oil together. Pass through a meat grinder. Once it's all minced, add the psyllium husk and mix well.
Step 4: Shape patties of about 100 grams and lightly coat them in the wheat flour. Heat a bit of oil in a pan until it's very hot, then add the patties. Fry for five to seven minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper.
Holy Mole Fish Taco
This is a playful take on a popular street food, using ingredients that can be grown with an aquaponic system. We've shared just a few components to the dish. Recipe serves 12.
Cured Perch
Ingredients
Perch, 500 grams
Sugar, 50 grams
Salt, 50 grams
Blended, dried dill, 125 grams
Method
Step 1: Perch is a freshwater predatory fish. To make sure it's edible, check that the skin is intact and has no bruises. It should also have a fresh, natural smell, clear eyes and red gills.
Step 2: To fillet the fish, use the tip of your knife – preferably a filleting knife – to cut it from the tail to the head along the belly. Remove the guts. Laying it on its side with the back facing you, make a cut along the ribs, from the top side of the backbone to the tail. Then, carefully cut out the ribs.
Step 3: With the skin facing down, make a small cut in the tail of the fillet and pull it steadily toward you. Make sure you keep the tip of your knife pointing as downwards as possible to get a clean, skinless and boneless fillet. As we serve the fish semi-raw, you should freeze the fillets at a minimum of -20 degrees Celsius for at least 24 hours. Take them out to thaw before use.
Step 4: Combine the sugar, salt and blended, dried dill. Rub the mix onto the fillets and roll them in plastic wrap. Let them cure for at least 24 hours in the fridge – or 48 hours if you prefer your fillets hard-cured.
Green Pea Mole
Ingredients
Water, 500 millilitres
Salt, 1 teaspoon
Fresh peas, shelled, 200 grams
Pea sprouts, one handful
Butter beans, 150 grams
Green chilli, minced, ½ a chilli
Garlic clove, minced, one
Lemon juice, fresh, ½ a lemon
Method
Step 1: In a saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil.
Step 2: Blanch the peas and pea sprouts in the salted water for five to 10 seconds. Strain and submerge in cold water.
Step 3: Pulse the peas, sprouts and butter beans in a food processor into a chunky mix.
Step 4: Transfer the mash to a smaller bowl and mix in the garlic and chilli. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Swedish Neatballs
Space10 has experimented with creating "neater", meat-free versions of the ordinary meatball. We've included the version that uses root vegetables and legumes, but other versions include adding mealworms or seeds and nuts. Recipe serves four.
Neatball base
Ingredients
Potatoes, peeled, 400 grams
Onions, diced, 120 grams
Button mushrooms, sliced, 150 grams
Allspice, one pinch
Pepper, one pinch
Salt, one tablespoon
Psyllium husk, 40 grams
Wheat flour, one tablespoon
Clear rapeseed oil, one/two tablespoons
Method
Step 1: Decide which Neatballs you want to make by checking out your options. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, follow the steps to prepare the additional ingredients for your preferred Neatball.
Step 2: Roast the potatoes, whole, for about 2.5 hours or until tender. For the roots and legumes Neatball, you'll need to roast the beetroots with the potatoes here.
Step 3: Pan fry the onions over low heat until they are transparent.
Step 4: Roughly chop the potatoes and put them into a bowl along with the mushrooms, onions, spices and salt. Add the ingredients for the Neatball you chose to make. Mix well.
Step 5: Pass everything through a meat grinder. Add the psyllium husk and mix well. Roll into balls of 20 grams (a bit smaller than a golf ball). Roll the balls in a bit of four. Heat up a few tablespoons of clear rapeseed oil in a pan; when hot, add the Neatballs and fry over medium heat until they're firm and golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
With Roots and Legumes
Ingredients
Butter beans, dry, 100 grams
Beetroots, 400 grams
Method
Step 1: If your butter beans are dried, let them rest covered in water overnight, then boil until tender. (If you're using canned ones, don't worry about this step.)
Step 2: Cut off the tops and bottoms from the beetroots. Save the trimmings to make gravy. Bake the beetroots together with the potatoes in the Neatball base recipe.
Step 3: Mix the beetroots and beans into the Neatball base before mincing everything.