Engineered Eats whet our appetite for Beakerhead

Beakerhead — Calgary's annual explosion of science, engineering and ingenuity — takes over the city next week with a five-day spectacle of more than 60 events, installations and artworks.

The eating part starts early, though, to whet everyone's appetite for the main events.

Last year's "Engineered Eats" theme was milk. This year it's barley in its many forms: pearled and pot, sprouted, malted and milled.

"It's not all molecular gastronomy — there's a lot of interesting science behind the preparation of iconic Canadian ingredients, like barley," says organizer Paul Gordon, who also hosted a barley seminar last month in advance of the festival.

"We've all heard of malt, but what does it do exactly? How does it fit into the whole food supply chain, from livestock to beer to milkshakes?"

Barley is Canada's third largest crop after wheat and canola, and Alberta farmers produce half of it.

Twenty-five restaurants and bars across the city have accepted the challenge to get science-y with the grain. Between Sept. 9 and 17 they will be offering dishes and drinks just for Beakerhead.

• Madison's 12|12 brings nachos and workspace to an Inglewood patio
• Granary Road, a new farmers' market, opens this weekend south of Calgary

You'll find delicate bacon and barley crisps at Avec Bistro; little foie gras sandwiches with vanilla rhubarb compote and beer gel, sprouted barley salad with creamy ale dressing at Bank & Baron P.U.B.; an Alberta bison burger with homemade barley cheese, beer mustard aioli, sprouted barley, beer braised bacon and onion jam on a malted barley bun at Home and Away; and a barley beer cake with caramelized whey and white chocolate freddo, malted milk sponge, grated beet and raspberry kvass at Winebar Kensington.

"Beakerhead is all about creating a sense of wonder in Calgarians of all ages, while dispelling the idea that science, engineering and art are incompatible pursuits," says Gordon.

"Our M.O. is connecting people in these disciplines to create something for the public to enjoy. I can't think of anything that fits that description better than giving Calgary's talented chefs scientific knowledge and local products to experiment with, and share the results with hungry Beakerhead attendees. That's Engineered Eats in a nutshell!"

Beyond Engineered Eats, Beakerhead has food-focused events, too. You can take a malted milkshake workshop and learn the science behind turning starchy barley grains into sweet malted barley, and how to produce a world-class gelato.

You can master meat with a hands-on butchery and anatomy class, talk to craft brewers about the art and science of beer, pull up a chair to toast cold brews and chemical cocktails at Beakerbar, or join the Arctic Institute of North America for a culinary adventure to Nunavut, Canada's northernmost territory.

Information, schedules and ticket information for the festival — which runs Sept. 13-17 — are available at the Beakerhead website.