FOOD NEWS
The Michelin Restaurant That Serves Moldy Apples On Purpose
By Nick Johnson
Mold isn't necessarily bad in the culinary world because we wouldn't have food items like blue cheese or cured sausages without it. There's even a Michelin-starred restaurant that has expertly crafted a moldy fruit dish that is sure to test even the most adventurous foodie and pro-fungus-eating enthusiast.
According to Fine Dining Lovers, Spanish chef Andoni Luis Aduriz created a famous, or perhaps infamous, moldy apple dish called Noble Rot for his Michelin-starred restaurant Mugaritz. Vine pair states that Noble rot is the common name for Botrytis cinerea fungus, which causes grapes to shrivel and sweeten.
However, Noble Rot, the dish, doesn't use Botrytis cinerea to cause its signature shroud of mold. The Mugaritz team explained that Penicillium roqueforti and Penicillium candidum, often used as cheese culture, create the apple's moldy and edible texture.
The rotten dessert is served along four botrytized dessert wines, each from a different nation, and received mixed reviews, as reviewers were torn over the fuzzy fruit. However, the aptly-named food blogger Rotten Apples and Other Delights wrote that the Noble Rot was the highlight of her meal at Mugaritz.