Watch David Chang's Harvard Talk on Momofuku's Scientific Pursuit of Umami

Momofuku chef and empire-builder David Chang hit up the lecture circuit in the latest edition of Harvard's Cooking & Science Lecture Series. Chef and olive oil expert Carles Tejedor of the Michelin-starred Barcelona restaurant Via Veneto kicked off the evening's lecture with a discussion of the magic that is olive oil, at which point Chang takes over to discuss his Momofuku team's olive-related research in the pursuit of umami.

Chang says he never thought mold and microbes could be delicious, but has since come around: "I firmly believe it is the future of food in terms of how we perceive flavor, how we cook and, quite frankly, it was how we understood olive oil." Here's the video:

Video: Microbes, Misos, and Olives | Lecture 12 (2012)

· Microbes, Misos, and Olives | Lecture 12 [YouTube]
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