spherification is a technique consisting of shaping liquid into spheres, also known as “direct spherification.” By submerging liquid containing sodium alginate into calcium, a thin odorless, colorless, and tasteless membrane forms around the liquid interior, creating an edible sphere that is solid on the outside and liquid on the inside. Originally developed in the 1950s by Unilever, the Dutch-British consumer goods company, as an innovative drug delivery system, the technique was adopted by the culinary world beginning in 2003 with Spain’s now-defunct el Bulli restaurant and by the molecular mixology world not long after. Often called “caviar” for their resemblance to roe, the spheres can be created in a variety of sizes and can incorporate solids that become suspended in the liquid, such as mint leaves in a Mojito-flavored sphere. A similar technique known as reverse spherification calls for submerging liquid with a high calcium, acid, or alcohol content into an alginate bath with the same results. The process can also be completed with non-chemical components, such as cold oil.
See also cocktail renaissance and mixology, the history of.
Potter, Jeff. Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Cooks and Good Food, 2nd ed. Beijing: O’Reilly, 2016.
By: Chloe Frechette