Latest news with #AnneSophiePic
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Astronaut Brings French Menu in Space
When you think about the food that astronauts eat in space, lobster, haddock and foie gras probably don't spring to mind - but that's exactly what France's next visitor to the International Space Station (ISS) will be dining on. According to BBC, Astronaut Sophie Adenot has teamed up with award-winning French chef Anne-Sophie Pic to create a menu of gastronomic delights that will travel with Adenot to the ISS next year. Instead of the usual freeze-dried nutrients that astronauts eat, Adenot, 42, will be choosing from the likes of 'Foie gras cream on toasted brioche' and 'Lobster bisque with crab and caraway.' The menu - which the European Space Agency (ESA) has dubbed 'a pinch of France in space' - includes four starters, two main courses and two desserts. Adenot said the dishes, which also include braised beef, and chocolate cream, will not only 'delight our palates' but also help her feel connected to Earth, and her home country. 'Her (Pic's) cuisine signature is deeply influenced by the terroir. This is important to me because I grew up in the countryside, and it will remind me of my roots,' she was quoted as saying in an ESA statement. There are strict rules for food on the ISS - it must be crumb-free, lightweight and keep for at least 24 months, the ESA says. Therefore, most meals are canned, vacuum packed or freeze-dried, with fresh fruit and vegetables a rare luxury that can only be enjoyed when a spacecraft arrives with new supplies. But to keep things interesting, boost morale, and help with crew bonding, every tenth or so meal is one prepared especially for each astronaut, with these 'bonus meals' often made in partnership with a chef. Famous for her haute cuisine, Pic, 55, has the most Michelin stars of any female chef in the world - 10. She says this project is "pushing the boundaries" of gastronomy, as she worked with her team to create special food, while keeping within the technical constraints. 'Cooking for space is an exhilarating challenge,' she was quoted as saying by the ESA.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Astronaut Sophie Adenot and chef Anne-Sophie Pic to launch Michelin meals into space
Two Frenchwomen are set to give new meaning to the expression: "The sky's the limit". As announced by the European Space Agency, Sophie Adenot (who, next year, will fly to the International Space Station with her co-graduate from the class of 2022 Raphaël Liégeois) has worked with French chef Anne-Sophie Pic to develop the "bonus" dishes that she will take on board the ISS. No unappetising substitute at the bottom of the tube for this representative of the homeland of haute cuisine: as ESA points out, Sophie will be bringing a piece of French gastronomy into space with a special menu created with Anne-Sophie Pic, the world's most Michelin-starred chef. The dishes selected - "bonuses", not the full menu - are emblematic of French cuisine, but have been completely revisited, such as: Onion and pink berry soup with croutons au gratin Poultry with voatsiperifery pepper, tonka bean and creamy polenta with comté cheese Chocolate cream with cazette flower and coffee Anne-Sophie Pic, notes ESA, is one of the leading figures in haute cuisine, constantly pushing back the boundaries of taste and emotion with her daring creations and intuitive approach. Her three-star restaurant 'Pic', in Valence, France, won Tripadvisor's 'Best Restaurants' award in 2024. She was also named best female chef in the world in 2011 by the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards. 'Cooking for space is an exhilarating challenge, and it's a real honour to be part of this extraordinary adventure.' "It's a great challenge that Sophie Adenot has offered me and it's quite extraordinary", commented Anne-Sophie Pic, the three-Michelin-starred chef from Drôme, on ICI Drôme Ardèche on Thursday. When "last winter" the astronaut asked her to prepare festive dishes for the ISS, the chef "didn't hesitate for a single second to say yes". These bonus dishes account for 10% of astronauts' meals in space. "It's a bit of exceptional cuisine to give them courage", smiles Anne-Sophie Pic. Shellfish bisque, crème de foie gras esprit, onion soup with pink berries, braised beef effiloché, rice pudding and hazelnut and coffee chocolate cream: "The aim is to give them a taste of things they like". But to go into space, "these dishes are necessarily textured in a certain way", explains Anne-Sophie Pic. "It's classic cooking, but at the end, these dishes are restructured, blended and cooked thoroughly to remove any bacterial problems" and to make them "easy to eat". "It has to be fairly compact", but as the chef points out, it "can be extremely good and tasty". The food was packaged in partnership with Servair, a French company specialising in airline catering, using sterilisation in flexible sachets to preserve the taste qualities while guaranteeing very long storage at room temperature. Nothing suggested our paths would cross, yet we decided to work together to celebrate French gastronomy. Anne-Sophie is an exceptional professional and a true source of inspiration, and I am delighted to have her by my side in this adventure! Adenot, 42, a former helicopter test pilot, is due to carry out her first mission aboard the ISS in spring 2026. During a six-month mission called εpsilon, she will perform a variety of tasks, including European-initiated scientific experiments, medical research and station maintenance. Travelling at a speed of 28,800km/h at around 400km above the Earth, the ISS completes around 16 orbits around the planet each day, which can make it difficult to spread out breakfasts, lunches and dinners, notes The Guardian. Astronauts generally eat three meals a day, with a daily calorie intake of 2,500 calories as a rough guide. Because of the special requirements for food preservation and hygiene, feeding an astronaut can cost more than €20,000 a day. The food delivered aboard the International Space Station must be non-friable, light and have a shelf life of at least 24 months, according to the ESA. The bulk of the menus in space consist of canned or freeze-dried meals in plastic packaging that astronauts can select from a predefined list of options provided by the institutions. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a luxury and are only available when a spacecraft arrives with new supplies. Traditional gastronomy in space may not be the preserve of science fiction, continues The Guardian. Last April, ESA announced a project to assess the viability of producing laboratory-grown food in conditions of low gravity and high radiation, in orbit and on other planets. The team involved said the experiment was a first step towards developing a small pilot food production plant on board the ISS within two years, enabling future French astronauts to make 3D-printed bibs and laboratory-grown chips.
Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Times
French astronaut's gourmet menu is out of this world
Fine dining is not one of the usual attractions of a space mission but one French astronaut is set to enjoy both the stars and a gourmet experience on her mission next year. Lobster bisque with crab and caraway, shredded beef with black garlic, chocolate cream with hazelnut flower and coconut and smoked vanilla rice pudding are among the gastronomic delights that Sophie Adenot will tuck into aboard the International Space Station. Anne-Sophie Pic, who holds more Michelin stars than any other female chef, has created a special menu for the astronaut. Pic is accustomed to having her most exquisite dishes described as 'out of this world' but said she was especially thrilled that Adenot will take them into orbit. Astronauts often have to make do with freeze-dried meals, such as macaroni cheese or chicken soup, but Adenot will be able to choose from four starters, two main courses and two desserts. 'Bonus food' catered to suit the tastes of individual crew members makes up about a tenth of their diet, adding variety and boosting their mental wellbeing. Adenot's menu was described as 'a pinch of France in space' by the European Space Agency (ESA). The astronaut said she chose Pic as her personal chef because of their shared love of creative cuisine, as well as time-honoured classics. '[Pic's] cuisine signature is deeply influenced by the terroir. This is important to me because I grew up in the countryside and it will remind me of my roots,' Adenot said. 'Anne-Sophie's menu will not only surprise our taste buds and delight our palates, it will also allow us to reconnect with the Earth.' The menu will include onion soup with pink peppercorns and gratinéed croutons, chicken with voatsiperifery pepper from Madagascar, tonka beans with Comté cheese polenta and foie gras cream on toasted brioche. Adenot said sharing the menu with her fellow astronauts would help her bond with them. 'During a mission, sharing food is a way to invite our crewmates to discover more about our culture. It is a very special bonding moment for all of us and a welcome change in our day-to-day routine.' Food taken aboard the space station is subject to strict rules. It must be crumb-free, lightweight and able to be stored for at least 24 months, according to the ESA. That means most meals must be canned, vacuum-packed or freeze-dried. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a luxury that can only be enjoyed when a spacecraft arrives with supplies. 'Cooking for space means pushing the boundaries of gastronomy,' Pic said. 'With my team in the research and development lab we embraced a thrilling challenge: preserving the emotion of taste despite extreme technical constraints.' The women met by chance in what Adenot described as a 'stroke of fate'. She added: 'Nothing pre-destined us to meet and work together and yet we ended up collaborating on this collective adventure.' Pic was born into a family of restaurateurs in Valence in the south of France. She has several restaurants in France the Cristal Room in London.
Digital Trends
a day ago
- Science
- Digital Trends
The ISS menu is about to get a lot more interesting
The first person to consume food in space was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who during his brief time in orbit in 1961 had the unenviable pleasure of devouring a meal of beef and liver paste squeezed from an aluminum tube. It sounds awful, because it almost certainly was. Over the decades, however, astronaut food has steadily improved, and while some dishes continue to require rehydration in foil packets, others actually bear some resemblance to what you might eat back on terra firma — although this sushi 'meal' doesn't really cut it. Recommended Videos French astronaut Sophie Adenot is one of the lucky ones. When she heads to the International Space Station (ISS) next year, she's going to be taking with her some top-class nosh created by award-winning Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic. Taking a welcome break from freeze-dried scrambled eggs and powdered soups, Adenot and her ISS crewmates will get to enjoy tasty dishes such as parsnip velouté with curry and smoked haddock, onion soup with pink peppercorns and gratinéed croutons, and lobster bisque with crab and caraway — and they're just the starters. While most meals aboard the ISS are basic fare from cans or vacuum packs, every so often a special 'bonus meal' is prepared for all of the astronauts to enjoy together, partly to help with crew bonding, and partly to give everyone a welcome break from the blander menu items. 'During a mission, sharing our respective food is a way to invite our crewmates to discover more about our culture,' Adenot said. 'It's a very special bonding moment for all of us and a welcome change in our day-to-day routine. I have no doubt they'll be as enthusiastic as I am when they get a chance to taste Anne-Sophie's dishes.' When creating the one-off menu, Pic had to consider strict rules for food aboard the ISS. For example, dishes have to be solid or contained so that crumbs or small bits don't float away in the microgravity conditions and clog up the space station's ventilation systems. 'Cooking for space means pushing the boundaries of gastronomy,' Pic said. 'With my team in my research and development lab, we embraced a thrilling challenge: preserving the emotion of taste despite extreme technical constraints.' As NASA looks toward the first crewed missions to Mars and beyond, astronauts have also been experimenting with growing produce in microgravity, providing them with fresh food as part of a sustainable life-support system, while also boosting crew morale.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Michelin-starred chef's lobster bisque and foie gras heading to space
When you think about the food that astronauts eat in space, lobster, haddock and foie gras probably don't spring to mind - but that's exactly what France's next visitor to the International Space Station (ISS) will be dining Sophie Adenot has teamed up with award-winning French chef Anne-Sophie Pic to create a menu of gastronomic delights that will travel with Adenot to the ISS next of the usual freeze-dried nutrients that astronauts eat, Adenot, 42, will be choosing from the likes of "Foie gras cream on toasted brioche" and "Lobster bisque with crab and caraway". The menu - which the European Space Agency (ESA) has dubbed "a pinch of France in space" - includes four starters, two main courses and two desserts. Adenot said the dishes, which also include braised beef, and chocolate cream, will not only "delight our palates" but also help her feel connected to Earth, and her home country."Her (Pic's) cuisine signature is deeply influenced by the terroir. This is important to me because I grew up in the countryside, and it will remind me of my roots," she was quoted as saying in an ESA are strict rules for food on the ISS - it must be crumb-free, lightweight and keep for at least 24 months, the ESA says. Therefore, most meals are canned, vacuum packed or freeze-dried, with fresh fruit and vegetables a rare luxury that can only be enjoyed when a spacecraft arrives with new to keep things interesting, boost morale, and help with crew bonding, every tenth or so meal is one prepared especially for each astronaut, with these "bonus meals" often made in partnership with a for her haute cuisine, Pic, 55, has the most Michelin stars of any female chef in the world - says this project is "pushing the boundaries" of gastronomy, as she worked with her team to create special food, while keeping within the technical constraints."Cooking for space is an exhilarating challenge," she was quoted as saying by the says she will share the haute cuisine with her colleagues on board - it is after all an important moment - French gastronomic culture becoming for the first time... a former helicopter test and rescue pilot, has won a string of awards, including a medal honouring her actions in gender equality in the sciences.
