BARCELONA, Sept 11 — The Spaniard widely cited as the world’s best chef for his now-shuttered mythical restaurant El Bulli has called on the public to help write what is billed as the gastronomic equivalent of Wikipedia.
Ferran Adrià yesterday launched Hacking Bullipedia, an open portal that invites data scientists, designers and “data visualisation experts” to brainstorm design proposals, tools, new technologies and application ideas and help create the largest virtual library of gastronomic knowledge in the world.
The project will include everything from the culinary history of Western dining to cooking techniques, a glossary of culinary terms, and everything you need to know about white asparagus, for instance, all in a tidy, codified system.
As with Wikipedia, Adrià’s online culinary database will depend on crowd-sourced contributions — an attempt to embrace open innovation and move away from the “traditional model of chef secrecy” that is pervasive particularly among the old guard of chefs.
“We have only just scratched the surface when it comes to realising the full potential of technology and food,” said Adrià in a statement.
“Bullipedia is an attempt to unlock the culinary knowledge of the greatest chefs and make it available to everyone on the web. With this initiative we are inviting creative and talented people everywhere to join us in this exciting challenge.”
Also collaborating on the project is chef Joan Roca of Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca — now ranked the best dining destination in the world by Restaurant magazine — plus a roster of other top chefs from the country and academics from the University of Barcelona.
Funding the project is major Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica.
Teams have until October 30 to submit their ideas. In November, three finalists will be chosen to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. The winning team will spend three months in Barcelona working with the El Bulli Foundation to bring their idea to life.
The earliest the site would launch would be 2016.
Click here for more information. — AFP/Relaxnews
