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Food plating or garnishing is an aesthetic approach to eating. Before we actually eat, we "eat" virtually through our eyes and aroma of the food. Food plating is the process of arranging and decorating food to enhance its presentation. Improving the presentation of a dish adds value to the dining experience. Food presentation is the key to pulling all five senses into the experience of eating - hear the food being cooked, smell the ingredients, enjoy the texture as you eat, create an unforgettable taste, and of course, visually taste the food before it ever hits your tongue

History

Food presentation originated in medieval Europe. Medieval aristocrats also desired to entertain and impress through food. Banquets were usually huge feasts with diverse choices of dishes. Social etiquette dictated that the wealthy and powerful be given beautiful and elaborate dishes. The necessity to produce beautiful and elaborate dishes gave birth to the “Art of food plating”. In many cases, it may give added or contrasting flavor. Some garnishes are selected mainly to augment the visual impact of the plate, while others are selected specifically for the flavor they may impart. This is in contrast to a condiment, a prepared sauce added to another food item primarily for its flavor. There are certain strategies of plating -

1. Planning ahead, preparing and organizing.
2. Experiment with color and texture.
3. Choosing the perfect plates.
4. Experimentation with layers and height.
5. Using the right tools for food plating.
6. Consideration of how to change the color of food.

In everyday experience, food is never presented or served in isolation: it always comes in a container – in a bowl, on a plate, or in a disposable pack, as is typically the case with foods eaten directly from their packaging. This is what happens when the food is ordered for home delivery or buying meal kits for self-cooking. Think of the situation that you received a whole lot of food boxes delivered to you before your guests and you have no idea how to present the foods to your guests in descent way. The whole ambience is lost. However, if you call private chefs, they arrange everything from shopping, cooking, plating and cleaning and you truly enjoy your birthday or anniversary in an unforgettable manner. Much worse happens when you buy meal kits. Now you have to cook so much for the guests. If you don’t have proper skill for cooking, the whole thing can be a mess and if you do have your skills, your evening is lost.

Impact

With plates comes the idea that food should be presented in the most attractive manner possible, and that presentation, from the choice of the plate itself to the complex spatial arrangement of colours and ingredients on the plate, matters to the final reception of a dish by the diner. Good plating is delight to behold. Plating should not be seen merely as decoration, but as an integral part of the multisensory eating experience. Actually, the plate is the canvas on which chefs can express themselves. And at times it surpasses the concept of canvas when plating gets coupled with demographic and cultural aspects. In this respect, decorative plate ware constitutes a frame, highlighting the food and its consumption. The arrangement of food itself on these plates can also be granted a decorative dimension.

Chefs carefully select their vessels, utensils, and other inedible garnishes so as to ensure that each dish complements the food that is going to be served from it. The aim is to create a connection with nature and, because of this, the type of adornment changes according to the season and the foods being served. The physical properties of the plates also change in order to reflect the connection between the food and the seasons, with icy plates being served in summer, and warm dishes in winter. The chefs working within the constraints of this style of cuisine try to enhance the visual appearance of the dish as much as possible and show an early example in which the use of precise culinary techniques is considered in connection with the rituals surrounding food presentation. Chefs, like architects, select and compose food presentations according to their own individual inspiration, and not simply according to pre-existing codes. Through this new technique, food can be abstracted from its original form, giving rise to previously unexplored shapes and textures such as the now all too famous foams, gels and other edible and non-edible ingredients. This approach is definitely also liberating originality, giving rise to a new form of artistic performance or experience design, with the potential to play with everyone’s imagination, to trick human expectations as well as the diner’s senses. Presentation is a hidden force, guiding the process of culinary innovation. As such, it has begun to impact the expectations, experiences and memories of the diners, and is progressively building new habits and culture beyond the high-end restaurants, in supermarkets, fine grocery shops and home cooking.

And at the end, each dish tells a story

Chefs are often inspired by the philosophy: “I need to put some poetry in my plates. The presentation of a dish teaches me new rules of harmony and through this exercise, I find a form of peace. I always have to position my cuisine visually. In this I am guided by my instinct, which helps me perceive qualities and flaws and from time to time, reveals new flavours to me.”

Each dish must tell a story. The diner must know where to start and where to arrive in order to perceive all the right flavours. Just like when you read a canvas. What one should recognize here is that the overall presentation, and the surprises or delights that accompany it, is where the talents of the chefs are really focused, along, of course, with the sourcing of ingredients, their preparation, culinary skills and aesthetics.