This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Following her visit to the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, our collaborator presents the most surprising food innovations from this ultramodern emirate.
Museum of the Future
On February 22, the Museum of the Future was inaugurated in Dubai. The idea is to project the visitor to 2071, 100 years after the founding of the United Arab Emirates. And frankly, it is very successful!
The tour begins on the top floor “on board” of the space mission OSS Hope. A large horizontal screen shows an image of the Earth, as if we were there for real.
In a video, the head of the mission tastes asteroid water, 4.6 billion years old. “I think it would pair well with a dish with subtle flavors, like our line of spirulina products,” she says. For example, there is the Hope Snack made with spirulina, anti-crumb gelatin coating, date extract, sweetened squid ink and roasted arabica coffee bean powder. Obviously, we are in functional food rather than gourmet.
One floor down is the Healing Institute where major current issues, such as the loss of biodiversity, are “treated”. As in the laboratory of a futuristic geneticist, the DNA of 2,500 living organisms is kept in transparent cylinders, suspended on top of each other. In the next room, all the elements of nature are regenerated to revive each species and find the full potential of each ecosystem.
The exhibition ends with an offer of various meditations, in particular through sound vibrations and a simulation of walking in the sand, the time to think about the near future, the future of cities in a context of climate crisis. Beyond thinking, Dubai has already created a livable sustainable city.
On the way to Sustainable City
In the heart of Dubai, a district called Sustainable City was born in 2015. It is a microcosm comprising 500 homes grouped into five blocks near a farm along the neighborhood.
It is made up of 11 dome-shaped greenhouses, providing more than 300 square meters of cultivable space for citizens. While there is no lack of sunshine in this region of the world, managing water and the oppressive heat in summer are notable difficulties for farmers. These domes are therefore ideal for better controlling vegetable production.
In addition, the roofs of the houses and the covered parking lots are equipped with solar panels. There is also a hive adoption system to receive local honey periodically, and an educational program to encourage young people to take an interest in environmental issues.
In short, it is as if we had made a utopia a reality. Nothing less.
Research and development in the middle of the desert
For the rest of our exploration, Nathalie van de Vrede, guide “ like a friend and concierge for Voyageurs du monde, takes us to the huge (77 km²) solar panel park in the heart of the desert. Nearby is the Clean Technology Innovation Center, which aims to create practical solutions for a sustainable energy future in Dubai and around the world.
Wind energy is thus being studied, as are smart streetlights and panels that transform the humidity in the air into drinking water. As surprising as it may seem, Dubai aims to supply 75% of all its electricity in the form of solar energy by 2050 and become a center of expertise in renewable energy and the green economy.
Our journalist was the guest of Turkish Airlines and Visit Dubai.