Noma Projects' Pantry Items Are Designed To Take Your Cooking To The Next Level
Since its first iteration opened in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2003 (via Britannica), the award-winning fine dining restaurant Noma has been a cultural tour de force. Known for its daring New Nordic cuisine that pays special attention to what its owner and chef René Redzepi terms "time and place," the restaurant is epitomized by the use of hyper-local ingredients that are pickled, preserved, and presented experimentally (via Workman Publishing). Noma has also racked up three Michelin stars and was the top pick of The World's Best 50 Restaurants in 2022.
If you've had the chance to dine at Noma — either its flagship location or various pop-ups around the world, including Tokyo, Sydney, New York, and Tulum, Mexico (via Britannica) — consider yourself lucky because the opportunity to do so will soon draw to a close. According to The New York Times, Noma will close its doors at the end of 2024, becoming a full-time food laboratory and continuing to develop new dishes and products for its online store Noma Projects.
Noma Projects' first large-scale product is smoked mushroom garum
Launched in spring 2021, according to Tatler, Noma Projects is a way for consumers to access the renowned restaurant's idea-packed test kitchen. A laboratory of fermentation-based experiments ranging from lacto-fermented mirabelle plums to black walnut kombucha, Noma Projects' first large-scale product to be sold online is Project 001, a complex smoked mushroom garum.
One of the most ancient flavorings on earth, garum is a fermented fish sauce that dates back to the Roman Empire, according to Eater. Noma Projects' vegan version, according to its product page, is hand-made in Copenhagen by crushing organic mushrooms with salt and koji, an Aspergillus mold used to inoculate rice that is the foundation for Asian ferments including miso and soy sauce (via Fermenting for Foodies). Brewed for six to eight weeks, the resulting liquid is then smoked and bottled, producing a "plant-based liquid seasoning full of earthy, fruity flavors and a ton of umami," per the product's description. Retailing for $24 per 8.4-ounce bottle, Noma Projects suggests including the funky soy sauce-like condiment in Japanese-style curry, garlic- and sage-infused butter for tossing with cooked veggies or grains, and a spinach and mushroom tart enveloped in prepared puff pastry.
After Noma shutters and its team's culinary minds dedicate more time to Noma Projects, its line of products will likely expand if its busy Instagram page is any indication; past limited-production items include a wild rose vinegar and a forager's vinaigrette made with blackcurrant wood oil.