A delicious dish is the synthesis and feeling with the whole “five senses”. It is not enough to just talk about the taste, first of all, it must be the attraction from the form, the decorative arts, the scent, … and the harmony of the space. The impressively presented plates of “delicious” food, beautifully decorated dishes will definitely be an indispensable part of the journey to bring diners the perfect culinary experience.
>>> The Art of Food Presentation – The pinnacle of Contemporary Cuisine
What is the art of food presentation?
The art of presenting food, also known with the familiar term Food styling, is an art that originated in Greece, Japan and a number of other powerful civilizations. Appearing for a long time and especially emerging from the 18th century, the decoration of food gradually became popular and developed with French culture. Up to now, this art has been increasingly focused and has become a mandatory skill that cannot be ignored in the food processing process, bringing the best culinary experience to customers. In recent years, Food styling has also been introduced into Vietnam and has become a criterion for evaluating the quality of dishes.
The art of food presentation is understood as the arrangement of ingredients that have been processed according to unique ideas, creating a connection and highlighting the intention that the chef wants to convey through each dish. When presenting dishes, chefs need to know how to divide ingredients and ingredients and place the main and minor elements in the most harmonious, balanced and beautiful way.
The importance of the art of food presentation
Previously, we only encountered the art of presenting beautifully decorated dishes at restaurants serving European dishes, but now with the increasing requirements of diners, the concept of beautiful food decoration appears in the world. most different food places.
Increase the value of the food
The decoration and presentation in a skillful and artistic way has helped to bring life to the dishes from monotonous and boring to lively and delicate, increasing the value of the dish. Through that, diners will be attracted at first sight and they will begin to feel more about the dish. For the food business, this is an important factor to help them promote their dishes and restaurants to a wide range of customers.
Increase the culinary experience for customers
The beautiful dishes will captivate diners right from the first sight. Professor Charles Spence at the University of Oxford believes that the way food is presented directly affects how delicious it is. Diners not only enjoy food with hearing and taste, but emotions and sight also contribute significantly to this experience.
Affirm the unique quality and retain customers
The beautiful presentation of dishes has created a unique style that marks in the minds of customers about an impressive culinary place. This is also a plus point to retain customers, increase competitiveness and contribute to the communication and promotion of the brand widely.
Great way to decorate beautiful dishes to help please diners
The great development of Food styling is increasingly affirming the important role of the art of food decoration, from family meals to luxurious and classy parties.
Using the right ingredients
Clean, fresh, delicious is one of the top principles when decorating dishes because besides aesthetics, safety and hygiene are the most important factors. Chefs often use vegetables such as tomatoes, salads, cucumbers, etc., both for decoration and to accompany the main dish, … both aesthetic and convenient.
Decor depends on purpose and context
If decorating dishes for diners to dine, depending on the purpose, meaning, and object, the chef will have different ways of presenting and shaping ingredients. If the decoration is to take pictures for advertising, to introduce food, they must create the best possible appeal.
The combination of textures and materials
You must choose the right decoration materials, combine harmoniously with each other and enhance the main food, avoid embracing many textures that create a confusing or misleading sense of the dish.
Odd number principle
Odd numbers are considered divine by professional chefs. They often apply this principle to create a different, eye-catching and more balanced dish. So, please divide the dish into odd parts: 1,3,5,7… when decorating.
Adhere to the main-sub-rule
Trying to show off all the ingredients of a dish does not help us create a beautiful plate of food. That just makes your dish become messy, messy. Know what is the main element, what is the secondary element, and what is the highlight element to create more emphasis. Once this has been determined, place the main ingredient in the largest amount in the center (not necessarily the center). Next is the surrounding auxiliary materials and finally the decoration to create accents.
Simply above all
When decorating dishes, don’t be greedy, don’t try to display all available ingredients, you should present them in a simple and subtle way, focusing on the ingredients you want to highlight.
Contrasting colors
Consider each beautiful dish that you decorate as a work, the contrast is an important factor to make a strong visual impression and create attraction. You should choose contrasting colors between the background and the color of the food. Reciprocal color groups such as red – green, yellow – purple, orange – blue, etc. are widely used in this decor.
Selection of dishes
When decorating dishes, do not choose plates with many large patterns and textures, it can overshadow the color and attention of the dish. Instead, you can choose smooth plates or wooden cutting boards with unique and fancy shapes to increase the attractiveness.
Choose the right lighting
Besides the arrangement, lighting is the key factor that determines whether your dishes are eye-catching or not. So don’t let mistakes in lighting selection affect the enjoyment of diners. You can use beautiful dining table lamps with soft light, should be yellow light to create a cozy feeling. All blend into a special seasoning to help your dish more rounded.
Above are the principles of decorating common dishes that you can refer to and easily apply. However, if you are really passionate about the art of cooking, don’t be afraid to break all limits and create your own style of food decor!
