Six months in orbit aboard the International Space Station, Thomas Pesquet tastes dishes concocted by the Monegasque chef.
Ducasse was 400 km above the Earth celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Day.
It is a luxury for the Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, who embarked on the 17th of November in the International Space Station for six months in orbit, to bring seventeen dishes from a master chef with him. Meals which are not part of his daily routine, but give him a little taste of Earth between two freeze-dried meals. While conducting scientific and educational missions within the framework of the Proxima program of the National Centre for Space Studies (СNES), the engineer on board the International Space Station does not forget the tastes and flavors that come from the soil.
2000 dishes in 2016
“Ducasse Сonseil is the only one to have the pleasure of bringing food into space for all countries on Europe 1.” Alain Ducasse, the multi-starred chef, known especially for Louis XV in Monaco. “I had a first experience making food for the Concorde in 2000, 22,000 meters above Earth. Already, at this altitude, the taste changes.” Since 2004, Ducasse Сonseil has collaborated with CNES to create a complete range of festive meals. The Special Events meals program is conducted with the Centre for the Development of Activities in Microgravity and Space Operations. In 2016, 2000 dishes were concocted from thirty recipes (starters, main courses, desserts), designed and produced by the chefs of Ducasse Сonseil. French meals, certified with international protocols, are only served for special events. It is in Pouldreuzic (Finistère), in a Research laboratory, where they develop Hénaff pâtés. The heads of Ducasse Conseil ensure that flavors as well as the safety of food are respected. The constraints related to the microgravity on board the station require special manufacturing processes to preserve the nutritive and taste properties of the recipes within a light metal containers. What, then, remains of beef cheeks in Burgundian style, shredded poultry or a Breton lobster? Difficult to know. But these dishes have “zero risk in bacteriological terms,” says Alain Ducasse. Still, Thomas Pesquet will certainly enjoy his meal on the 27th of February, the day he’ll celebrate his 39th birthday.
Ducasse Conseil is a unit devoted to research and development in all areas of nutrition. In particular, it works in the aerospace industry with the design of the “special meals” for astronauts of the International Space Station.
62 Experiences
Thomas Pesquet is staying aboard a spaceship which is as large as a football pitch. Since 1998, it brings Europe, the United States, Japan and Canada together. This human outpost in orbit around the Earth is a springboard for future space exploration missions. The Proxima mission is a highlight for the European scientific community. The French astronaut contributes to 62 experiments coordinated by the European Space Agency and the СNES which aim to advance knowledge about the human body, physics and biology.
17 Gourmet Dishes
Thomas Pesquet and his companions in space will share some of these gastronomic meals concocted by Ducasse:
-Caponata.
-Fanned Carrots.
-Salmon with Menton lemon preserve.
-Duck Magret with capers.
-Fried chicken with potatoes.
-Breton lobster, organic quinoa with algae, Menton lemon preserve.
-Scottish salmon, tomatoes and grilled aubergines.
-Beef Bourguignon, carrots and mushrooms.
-Vegetables, tomato syrup and spicy marmalade.
-Organic egg in a cocotte with a Basquaise condiment.
-Lemon cream cooked in the oven.
-Cheesecake.
-Apple dessert.
