“In societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles.”
G U Y - E R N E S T D E B O R D
THE SOCIETY OF THE SPECTACLE
We were at the Black Food Festival this year and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. This trend has been around for a few years now in the food industry. It makes for fantastic visually striking photography but is there substance to the style?
The food itself is a black in hue, which can be made from squid ink, activated charcoal, charred foods like garlic/aubergine or coconut ash. It’s essentially coloured with a burnt ash of sort, (with the exception of squid ink, which is naturally occurring).
Although it as been misleadingly promoted with health benefits charcoal has been banned in some parts of the world because of health risks.
Steering clear of anything with activated charcoal, I tried the squid ink beets and goats cheese ravioli from Made by Manna, which was delicious. It’s these exciting flavour combinations that gives this trend wings.
Food is to be eaten as well as seen. If the black food festival encourages focus on new and unexplored flavours we can move away from just the spectacle to substance.
