In Culinary Chemistry, students at Punahou School are discovering how science and culture connect through food. Taught by Kyle Fujimoto '05, the course explores the chemical reactions behind cooking processes such as fermentation, browning and baking through hands-on laboratory experiences.
Recently, students prepared homemade kimchi while learning how fermentation creates the sour flavors and bubbling gases that define the dish. After salting and tasting cabbage to achieve the right balance, students mixed ingredients including gochugaru, garlic, ginger and fermented shrimp into a traditional kimchi paste before carefully packing the mixture into airtight containers to reduce oxygen exposure. They also learned how refrigeration slows the fermentation process.
Students connected culinary techniques to cultural traditions by watching videos featuring chef Esther Choi preparing kimchi and kimchijeon, a savory kimchi pancake. The class later made kimchijeon themselves while discussing another fermented food staple, soy sauce, through a video about a third-generation Japanese soy sauce maker from Japan.
Alongside their cooking, students also maintained sourdough starters, feeding them flour and water while observing the gases, bubbling activity and sour aromas produced during fermentation.
Through each recipe and experiment, students gained a deeper understanding of the science, technique and cultural traditions behind the foods they create.
