THE BRUTALIST KITCHEN MANIFESTO
- Brutalist kitchen is a dogma kitchen where certain rules apply.
- Brutalist kitchen is titled in reference to Brutalist architecture, renowned for its linear and blockish appearance.
- The main rule is the following: ingredients are used alone for a certain dish; only water and salt may be added.
- In Orthodox Brutalist Cuisine, neither water (nor salt) is added. Generally speaking, the Brutalist Kitchen is less about recipes and more about finding and preparing ingredients.
- We are born as Brutalist eaters, as mother’s milk is essentially Brutalist.
- One ingredient is often divided and cooked in different ways and then added again on the same plate.
- The use of overlooked, hard-to-get or rare ingredients, or ingredients that are generally discarded, is characteristic of Brutalist kitchen.
- Brutalist Cuisine is not about lack of sophistication, but lack of combination of different ingredients and a commitment to purity.
- Elaborate cooking techniques are allowed, as is raw or quickly heated food.
- Decoration on the plate is avoided.
- Different ingredients are not permitted on the same plate, they have to be presented as different units. The different dishes may be served at the same time.
- The eater may combine the tastes of different ingredients while eating. Instead of a chef imposing what should go together and which amount for a given serving, the eater takes these decisions.
- Portions tend to be of substantial size.