The pizza of the future will be made of cricket-based dough, tomatoes grown without soil and nut-based cheese, according to experts.
Scientists have commissioned experts to cook up a margherita from the year 2039 to show how science will shape the future of food.
The result may look just like a regular pizza but it reached the table in a revolutionary way, using cutting-edge food science and some unusual ingredients.
MailOnline’s science desk has already had a bite of the visionary takeaway and, mostly, met the earthy dough and sweet tomatoes with approving taste buds.
The pizza of the future will be made with nut-based cheese, tomatoes grown in coconut-based fake soil and dough made from ground-up crickets, experts claim. Pictured, MailOnline health reporter Connor Boyd in the middle of eating the Pizza from the Future
The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair commissioned experts to imagine the Margherita of the year 2039 to show how science will shape the future of food
With an increasing global population and a changing climate, finding new ways of producing meals will be key to feeding the world sustainably.
The chefs of the future will thus reach for produce grown hydroponically — without real soil — in LED-lit farms, along with insect-based flour and other sustainable items.
WHAT INGREDIENTS GO INTO THE PIZZA OF THE FUTURE?
Predicting a future facing widespread food insecurity, the focus of cuisine in the decades to come will be sustainability, experts predict.
Base:
Dough made from Cricket Flour
Cheese:
Topped with almond or coconut-based cheese.
Sauce & Topping:
Sustainable tomatoes grown in coconut husk soil in LED-lit hydroponic farms that have their own bee colony for plant pollination.
Garnish:
A dash of algae oil.
The Pizza of the Future
To cook up the pizza’s unusual recipe, The Big Bang Fair turned to self-described ‘applied futurist’ Tom Cheesewright to identify how our food will likely be produced in our near future.
‘The Big Bang Pizza of the Future has been made using technology that is ready right now, but more big changes are on the way,’ Mr Cheesewright said.
‘We are just around the corner from commercially-available lab-grown meats and cheeses — and giant vertical farms supplying city supermarkets with salad leaves.’
‘Your future pizza might be made from ingredients that have never seen the sun, or [been] grazed in a field.’
‘And it might be 3D printed by a robot chef and then carefully charred around the edges by a laser grill.’
‘This is truly just a taster of what the future holds.’
Predicting a future facing widespread food insecurity, the focus of cuisine in the decades to come will be sustainability, the experts predict.
‘For now, even replacing 20-25 per cent of the grain used for bread with a protein-packed alternative such as crickets could transform our reliance on the planet’s resources such as water, energy and land,’ explained Mr Cheesewright.
Furthermore, the team expect increasing global inter-connectivity to bring various new flavours to bear on the humble pizza.
‘In 20 years, we might see pizzas inspired by some of the fastest growing countries around the world,’ said Mr Cheesewright.
‘Maybe Yaji spice mix from Nigeria, or sweet and hot Indonesian Rujak.’
‘The people who object to pineapple on pizza will really hate that,’ he added,
The Pizza of the Future look like a regular takeaway Margherita, but it reached the table in a revolutionary way using cutting edge food science and some unusual ingredients
WHAT DID THE MAILONLINE TASTE-TESTERS HAVE TO SAY?
The futuristic pizza met largely with approval by MailOnline taste-testers.
‘I look forward to eating another slice in the fast-food restaurants of the future,’ said reporter Jack Elsom.
‘I liked the cricket dough and thought it had an earthy taste which was quite similar to sourdough,’ said health reporter Sam Blanchard.
‘The tomatoes were my favourite part — they were super sweet and flavourful — but I don’t think I would choose to eat the cheese because it was a bit too rich and rubbery,’ he added.
MailOnline’s Sam Blanchard, pictured, eats a slice of the future
However, not everyone was entirely convinced.
‘It looked amazing, but sadly I just couldn’t get past the pungent smell and lingering, earthy taste,’ said science reporter Ian Randall.
‘The pizza tastes just like the vegan pizza I ate before I gave up being vegan, but this pizza has ground up crickets in it,’ said reporter Milly Vincent.
‘Would still go for a Pizza Hut over this. Sorry,’ she added.
While the pizza of the future looks exactly the same as the takeout of today, it and other meals in 20 years time will reach your plate in revolutionary ways thanks to scientific breakthroughs, the experts claim.
‘The farmers and producers of the future are more likely to need qualifications that cover mechatronics, solar energy, energy efficient heating, genetic modification and nutrition to find alternative proteins, than animal husbandry,’ Mr Cheesewright added.
In fact, the researchers predict that — for those who don’t fancy ingredients that include insects — ordering a pizza made with with real meats, flour and cheeses will become an expensive prospect.
With an increasing global population and a changing climate, finding new ways of producing meals will be key to feeding the world sustainably. Pictured, the Pizza of the Future was met with gusto by school children, despite some of its more usual ingredients
The chefs of the future will thus reach for produce grown hydroponically — without real soil — in LED-lit farms, flour made from crickets (pictured) and other sustainable foodstuffs
‘As The Big Bang Pizza of the Future shows, developments in science, engineering and technology are at the heart of feeding the world’s population now and in the future,’ said EngineeringUK communications director Beth Elgood.
‘The next generation of scientists and engineers will be crucial to finding ways that balance the needs of a growing population with the availability of sustainable food sources.’
‘Young people can find out more and learn where their STEM studies might take them at The Big Bang Fair next March.’
The free fair — the UK’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people — will be held from March 11–14, 2020, in Birmingham.
The Pizza of the Future will be free to try on Friday October 11, 2019 at the ‘Made of Dough’ pizzeria in Peckham, South London, from 6pm onward.
