Bazaar Classics: Liquid Olives

When Chef José Andrés was 21 years old he worked with Chef Ferran Adrià at the legendary El Bulli in Spain. The Liquid Olive is José's homage to his mentor, using the modern culinary technique of reverse spherification. But what is it, exactly? In this science-lab-esque process, juice from uncured green olives is mixed with sodium gluconate, which is then dropped into a bath of water and sodium alginate. The resulting spheres are coated in olive oil and served on tasting spoons, alongside traditional stuffed green olives. In the words of José himself, "When you introduce the olives in your mouth, it’s going to explode. Your mouth is going to be full of flavors. I like to bring tradition but also push modernity so that’s what this is."