The Chef: Sarah Grueneberg (Spiaggia)The Challenger: Giuseppe Tentori (Boka, GT Fish & Oyster)The Ingredient: Propolis
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It’s difficult to find a recommended daily dosage online, and it’s possible that Grueneberg far exceeded it; propolis is most commonly sold in the form of drops or capsules, but Grueneberg was working with resiny chunks that were trickier to measure. Bees make propolis from tree resins, wax, and pollen; its composition varies widely but it often has antibacterial properties. Bees use it not only to seal cracks in their hives, but also to mummify the carcasses of small animals that come into their hives and die.
The propolis she got was in the form of small, shiny black chunks, which Grueneberg noted that she could shave finely, but if she tried to bite into them, they stuck to her teeth. She tried melting the propolis in hot water, but it just floated on top. “It’s like an oil slick in the ocean,” she said. “It’s like BP came into my pot and dumped a bunch of oil into it. It’s not cute.”
Video by Michael Gebert/Sky Full of Bacon
Who’s Next:
Meg Colleran Sahs of Terzo Piano, working with colatura, a kind of Italian fish sauce. “Basically, it’s like the liquid from salted anchovies,” Grueneberg said, “which I think is delicious, but it is one of those ingredients that you need to be careful [with] when you use it.”
Honey-propolis caramel
