Nicholas Kurti

     I spoke in a previous entry about Herve This, known to many as the Father of Molecular Gastronomy. However, This did not come up with the idea all by himself. Although he is less well known, Nicholas Kurti assisted This in many ways before he passed away in 1998. This' dissertation on the subject was actually titled "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy", because Kurti (as a physicist) insisted it be so. Out of respect to Kurti, This kept it as such until he died- then the name was shortened to simply "Molecular Gastronomy". I had to use the webpage linked above as well as this article in order to find information on Kurti- he's not that easy to find.
     Kurti was born in Hungary in 1908 (this means he was 90 years old when he died!) Kurti had to flee the Nazis when they occupied Hungary, and ended up going to Oxford. He actually worked on the beginnings of the Atom bomb- but somehow, he ended up working, instead, on the molecular workings of food. He originally had fine cooking as only a hobby, but after befriending Herve This, it grew to play a larger role in Kurti's life.
     Although Kurti has passed away, I feel it is important to remember just how much he affected the field of molecular gastronomy. He even co-authored a book on the subject, and presented many ideas that This grew off of. Both This and Kurti helped to structure molecular gastronomy into the blossoming field it has become today.