An Edge in the Kitchen

Photo: Michael Temchine for The New York Times

Today’s New York Times has an in-depth look at high end fruit and vegetable carving, Knife Skills: Creating Feasts for the Eyes. The accompanying photos are gorgeous, though the writer misses an important historical point. Food sculpture goes a lot farther back than 1977. Elaborately carved centerpieces were a mainstay of medieval and Renaissance tables. Either way, the knife skills involved are simply amazing.