GOURMET MEALS IN SPACE. DUCASSE AND OTHER FAMOUS WORLD CHEFS CREATE DISHES FOR ASTRONAUTS IN ORBIT. A TASTY EXPERIMENT TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND THE SPIRIT OF SPACE CREWS

No more bland tablets, freeze-dried broths, or frozen foods. For the December holidays, the astronauts of the international orbiting space station will be able to enjoy dishes prepared by some of the best chefs on Earth. Chefs like Alain Ducasse, the most famous chef in France (who has also been in Italy for years at the Andana estate, in partnership with the Vittorio Moretti group), and Rachel Ray, the celebrated U.S. television personality.

The two have, in fact, been in the kitchen preparing an unusual scientific experiment: creating the tastiest dishes possible to send into space. The only rules for the experiment are that the food cannot contain any bacteria and must have a very limited amount of humidity.
These delicacies greatly improve astronauts’ diets, as well as their spirits. Ducasse, together with a crew of French chefs, has created an interesting menu to send to the stars, based on roasted quail with wine, red tuna with candied Mentone lemon, sword fish and duck pâté with capers. As for the side dishes, there’s carrots with orange, and puree of celery with nutmeg, while dessert consists of a dried apricot cake, apple fondant, rice pudding with candied fruits, and a “space” version of a typical French dessert. The tasty meal was prepared and taken into space last week where it was much appreciated by the astronauts.

For NASA, instead, Ray cooked Thai chicken and a scampi cocktail that was sent into orbit last December directly from Cape Canaveral.