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Aroma, acidity, bitterness, time and energy: these are the five stations that make up the pilot experience “The Lemon Equation”, organized by the Cascais Food Lab and designed for next Spring at Quinta do Pisão. At each one, participants are challenged to discover the different facets of this ingredient produced in the educational farm's lemon grove, which can be the star or a subtle addition to a recipe.
Wake up the senses: here, you eat with your eyes, as well as your nose and hands.
Leading the project are Cláudia Mataloto, coordinator of the gastronomy department at Cascais City Council (which includes the Cascais Food Lab, an experimentation space and cooking school) and author of books like Receitas de Reis e Pescadores [Recipes of Kings and Fishermen], and Ricardo Bonacho, professor and researcher in gastronomy, marketing and innovation. Together, they planned this special visit to Quinta do Pisão focused on the Cascais lemon, presenting it from a sensory, cultural and territorial point of view. The idea is for visitor groups to get to know it – and taste it, of course – right where it is born, grows and is harvested.
At the first stop – set up in the Mercado da Vila square outside the Food Lab for this first trial – green and ripe lemons are compared: what are the differences in touch and sight, but mainly in smell and taste between them? A toast with ricotta, lemon extract, thyme, Pisão honey and lemon zest prepared on the spot helps understand the specifics and enjoy the aroma.
Then, the moment that promises to excite the youngest: showing how it is possible to light a small LED bulb with lemon energy. The experiment is easy to replicate at home: all you need are lemons (the more and riper, the better), two different metals (a five-cent coin and a zinc screw, for example) and copper wires to create light.
A proper gastronomic experience, whether in the middle of nature or inside a cooking school, does not reach the end without something sweet – and this one says goodbye with two: a mini lemon meringue tart with candied lemon and a date truffle with lemon and peanut butter.
The recipes served in the Quinta do Pisão lemon grove in a few months, when “The Lemon Equation” is fully fine-tuned, may not be exactly the same as those served in this presentation – they will vary depending on seasonality. What is certain is that the lemon will be the star of the show. And, who knows, the inspiration for other gastronomic routes centered on a local product.