While the molecular gastronomy trend has mostly passed in Italy, there are many elements and techniques that remain and have become part of everyday cooking. Sous vide is very common – you even see it inNew York at Eataly to keep mozzarella at a proper temperature. Some nitrification still goes on, and even foams show up as garnishes. For instance, you might see ravioli with a simple tomato sauce, but topped with buffalo mozzarella foam.
Overall, chefs seem more willing toexperiment and break some traditional rules. Crunchy as a texture is not traditional in Italian food, especially with vegetables, but the influences of Asian and Spanish cuisines have chefs combining contrasting textures and flavors.
Ciao!
Lorenzo Boni, Executive Chef, Barilla America