From fries to coffee: culinary mistakes that become gastronomic wonders
Did you know that potato chips were a cook's revenge on a diner? Or that an oversight in the oven gave rise to the famous Tarte Tatin? What is the relationship between a herd of goats and coffee? And between a chocolate bar and the microwave?
Some of the dishes that we like the most were not invented the first time, nor were they the result of many hours of work and planning, but There was a lot of chance and also, this is the truth, culinary accident. So read on...because your next unsuccessful dish can end up in a success like the ones we told you about.
This is the case of potato chips, the favorite snack of the Spanish. It is estimated, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, that we consume more than 1 kilo of French fries per person per year.
But it all started in the United States and out of anger. That of a businessman named Cornelius Vanderbilt who ordered a plate of French fries at the Moon's Lake House restaurant in New York. Chef George Crum prepared them to the best of his ability, but the customer said they were thick and raw.
Did you know that potato chips were a cook's revenge on a diner?
The plate was returned to the kitchen, and on the second try he had no better luck. Finally, the chef, as revenge, decided to make potatoes so thin and fried that they were impossible to eat. But when Vanderbilt tried them, they say, he "went crazy with pleasure."
now the book Blessed Mistakes (Mosquito Books) collects this and many other stories of mistakes that became successes.
Some are gastronomic, and others speak of everyday objects such as the post-it, the matches or medicines as necessary as penicillin.
Behind them are Soledad Romero Mariño, compiling stories, and Montse Galbany illustrating them. And the result, as they warn on its cover, is "The book with the most errors in all history."
Behind 'Blessed errors' are Behind are Soledad Romero Mariño compiling stories and Montse Galbany illustrating them
But back to the table, in this case, for coffee. It is estimated that in Spain more than 22 million people drink at least one cup of coffee a day. During the week, the average is 3.6 coffees per day, according to data from the International Coffee Organization.
Our country occupies the nineteenth position with 4.5 kilos of annual consumption per person, and it is the Finns who are in the lead with 12 kilos a year, followed by the Norwegians and Swedes.
But none of this would be possible either if it weren't for a shepherd named Kaldi, that on some slopes of Ethiopia he noticed the energy that his goats had after taking some red berries He himself collected a few to take to the mosque in his village.
“There the teacher analyzed the find and cooked a concoction. But the taste turned out to be too bitter and intense and he wasted the fruit by throwing it into the fire”. With the rescued seeds, he prepared the first cup of coffee in Ethiopia itself.
What is the relationship between a herd of goats and coffee?
In the case of the Tatin cake, the protagonist was a cook whose apples were burned and she decided to disguise the dish by putting a little dough on top of it and turning it over before serving.
The patch was not only successful, but today it is a staple dessert in many restaurants and there is even an annual contest in Britain to find the best Tarte Tatin.
It is organized by the restaurant Galvin la Chapelle , with brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin at the forefront and invites people to share photos of their cakes and participate in a grand finale where, among the prizes, there is Tarte Tatin for life in this restaurant, by the way, with a Michelin star.
In case you are not among the finalists, they are currently sharing their famous recipe.
In the case of the Tatin cake, the protagonist was a cook whose apples were burned
Blessed Errors (Mosquito Books) also takes us to the abbey of Hautvillers, in France, where a monk's attempt to make the most exquisite wine in the world led him from despair to the creation of champagne. Or how an incident with a chocolate bar was the key to inventing microwave.
But, as we warned, errors are not only in the kitchen. The post it they arose while trying to make a high capacity glue for aircraft construction.
Velcro, matches, fireworks, artificial dye, and even the eraser They were also unexpected results. The list is long and in this book we discover the amazing stories behind it.
A monk's attempt to make the most exquisite wine in the world led him to create champagne