Researchers from the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), a joint centre of the University of Valencia (UV) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), took part in the CSIC City-Science programme with workshops held at IES El Vinalopó (Novelda) on 17 April 2026.

The fusion of science and cooking has allowed us to advance our understanding of the physical and chemical processes associated with the transformations of ingredients. But cooking can also be an effective and fun vehicle for conveying fundamental scientific concepts. The ‘Scientific Gastronomy’ workshop was designed by I2SysBio researchers Javier Buceta and Juli Peretó to introduce scientific concepts from physics and chemistry in a simple, understandable and even appetising way.

Two sessions of the workshop were held at IES El Vinalopó in Novelda: one aimed at students in last year of secondary school and another for high-school students. The experiments were carried out using very simple kitchen equipment. The objective was to perform reverse spherification with yoghurt. But beforehand, the group discussed the degree of mineralisation of tap water and its effect on the precipitation of alginate. Or the concept of surface tension and its role in the formation of spheres. The workshop allowed participants to learn science in a relaxed way and to eat the result of the experiment.

The CSIC outreach programme ‘Ciudad-Ciencia’, started in 2012, is developed in collaboration with 59 local councils in Spanish towns. All up-to-date information on the programme in the municipalities can be found on this website.