Imagine a culinary journey where “edible plastic” crafted from algae and fish skin collagen is served beneath a vast, domed ceiling projecting ocean-borne pollution.
This striking experience, and the dish itself, draws inspiration from the colossal garbage patches blighting our seas.
In Copenhagen, Denmark, chef Rasmus Munk’s Alchemist restaurant transcends traditional dining.
Guests are not merely offered dishes but embark on an “immersive dining experience” that seamlessly blends performance art, evocative music, and captivating projections within its planetarium-like domed room, all complemented by extraordinary food.
Opened in 2019 within a former industrial harbour area of the Danish capital, Alchemist has rapidly ascended the culinary ranks, being named the world’s fifth-best restaurant in 2025.
It proudly holds two Michelin stars, a testament to its exceptional cuisine.
A cured squid, white cabbage, hazelnuts and walnuts dish served at restaurant Kadeau (AP)
Diners at this acclaimed establishment encounter 50 distinct “impressions,” the majority of which are edible.
The multi-hour experience encourages deep reflection on both the innovative food and the surrounding visual narratives, featuring creations such as a large eyeball dish with caviar and codfish eye gel, and delicate nettle butterflies presented atop cheese and artichoke leaves.
“We convey messages through our food, our food is our medium of expressing ourselves,” said Munk, whose dishes also explore issues such as state surveillance and animal welfare.
Once known for bacon, herring, and rye bread, the Scandinavian country’s cuisine has been in ascendancy since 2003 when René Redzepi’s world-beating Noma first burst onto the scene, preaching a “New Nordic” philosophy that celebrated foraging, fermenting and Scandinavia’s seasonal larder.
Emboldened by the success of the New Nordic movement, Denmark’s Michelin-starred restaurants are now asking a new question: Can gastronomy be art?
Chefs prepare the dishes inside the prep kitchen at restaurant Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark (AP)
Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said in January that Denmark would explore whether gastronomy could be formally recognized as an art form. If realized, it could become the first nation to legally place cooking — or at least the highest versions of it — on a similar pedestal to painting.
It is not clear how the culture ministry’s plans will be impacted by the country’s March 24 general election.
Munk, 34, who says he spent almost a decade honing his “artistic practices,” has been a driving force behind the move and described it as a “big milestone.”
“I don’t think all food is art… I think the craftsmanship needs to be on the highest level,” he said, adding that ultimately it is a political decision what gets called art and what not and that, for now, “this is a closed society for chefs.”
The change, still in its exploratory phase, would eventually require a vote in Denmark’s 179-seat parliament to reclassify gastronomy from craft to art.
Chiefs prepare food at the restaurant Kadeau in Copenhagen, Denmark (AP)
It could also make the country’s chefs eligible for state subsidies and funding from private foundations — like writers and musicians — to get their projects off the ground.
Other nations with famed food cultures, including France and Japan, haven’t made similar moves. Last year, UNESCO granted Italian cooking cultural heritage status.
Denmark has previously expanded what constitutes art and culture, for example by awarding a lifetime national arts honor to heavy metal act King Diamond. Last year, the Sonning Prize, Denmark’s largest cultural award, was awarded to French gastronomic artist and chemist Hervé This.
The Nordic nation of six million people has become a dining destination, home to 37 Michelin-starred restaurants, including Copenhagen’s two-star Kadeau, which was opened in 2011 by head chef and creative director Nicolai Nørregaard.
“I approach it like I would approach making a piece of art, like an artwork or a piece of writing,” said Nørregaard. “It’s about getting sort of an experience.”
The 46-year-old head chef, whose recipes reference the seasonal flavors of Danish island Bornholm, said such recognition would be a “big step.”
A dish named “Tongue Kiss” served at restaurant Alchemist in Copenhagen, which has rapidly ascended the culinary ranks, being named the world’s fifth-best restaurant in 2025 (AP)
“To acknowledge that this can also be looked upon as art… that’s what’s important for me,” he added.
But not everyone, even some within the industry, are toasting the idea.
Nick Curtin, the American executive chef and owner of Copenhagen’s Michelin-starred Alouette restaurant, argues art and gastronomy are fundamentally different.
“Art’s sole purpose is expression. It’s to evoke emotion. Food must be consumed,” he said. “(Art) can evoke disgust or disappointment or pain or sorrow or joy or longing. Food actually can’t express all of those things. It can, but it shouldn’t.”
Some in Denmark’s art scene have also expressed concern such a change might see greater competition for funding between chefs and more traditional artists like painters.
Holger Dahl, the architecture and art critic at Denmark’s 277-year-old Berlingske newspaper, is more blunt: “I think it’s quite silly, there’s no use, it doesn’t make any sense.”
He added: “It’s a little bit like a bicycle and a car — they have round wheels, they’ll take you from one point to another point, but it’s not like a very good bicycle all of a sudden turns into a car. It doesn’t happen.”
Dining and Cooking