What Is Culinary Minimalism, Anyway?

This article originally appeared on VICE Italy.

“I have a bed, and a chair, and a radio,” says Joshua Fields Millburn in the 2015 documentary, Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. That’s pretty much what people think about when they conjure up the image of a minimalist: Someone standing in a semi-empty room, wondering if a water bottle sparks joy. Together with Ryan Nicodemus, Milburn is one half of the Minimalists, a duo of podcasters, bloggers, authors and documentary filmmakers who helped make minimalism mainstream over the course of the past decade.

Milburn and Nicodemus did not invent minimalism, obviously. Rooted in the Bauhaus design movement, which focused on combining aesthetics with function, minimalism emerged in 1950s New York when artists like Frank Stella, Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt introduced a more simplistic and harmonious form of beauty to the art world. From there, the minimalist approach seeped into music and literature, expanding to lifestyle over the course of the past few decades. Today, minimalism is not only about celebrating a paired-down concept of beauty, but comes as a reaction to consumerism, compulsive possession and the obsession with money, as well as a rejection of waste.

But one of the lesser-known aspects of this philosophy is its application to food, both in terms of cooking style and as a subjective approach towards eating. The truth is, there are rather conflicting definitions of what it means to have a minimalist diet, since the concept is not really set in stone. For instance, although it’s never been their primary focus, the Minimalists have talked about minimalism and food on their blog. In fact, Millburn says shifting his perspective to consider food as “fuel, plain and simple,” as he puts it, helped him become healthier. “That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy food, though – I enjoy it immensely,” he continues. “The difference is I don’t turn to food to entertain me, to comfort me, or to get me through tough times.”

More suggestions about a minimalist approach to food are peppered throughout other posts: Eat only twice a day, favour simple dishes and lightly-cooked whole foods, no sugary drinks, no processed foods. The goal, they say, is reducing the negative impact of food on our lives, reducing food waste and generally making sure consumption doesn’t become an obsession. 

Examples of other proponents of the movement include Canadian dietician Bri from Frugal Minimalist Kitchen, Boston-based food photographer Lucia Lee, and the Minimalist Bakers, a website which only lists recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less, in one pot, or with a maximum of 10 ingredients.

“Many Italian dishes are minimalist by nature,” says Italian minimalist influencer Irina Potinga. “Pasta with tomato sauce, for example, is so good but so simple.” Of course, that wouldn’t meet Millburn’s definition of a minimalist diet, as pasta is a processed food largely considered unhealthy by the gluten-free gang that’s taken over the wellness world. But for Italians, one of the longest-living populations in the world, it’s a staple.

Instead, Potinga believes minimalism in the kitchen means preparing quick and simple dishes with core ingredients she knows well. “This allows me to eat healthy homemade food and not have a pantry full of ingredients I don't know how to use,” she says. Before bringing a new ingredient home to mix things up, Potinga likes to do her research and make sure she knows she’ll use what she is buying. 

“For me it’s not really about saving money – even though that’s a natural consequence – it’s more about avoiding waste,” she says. Look inside Potinga’s cupboard and you'll find things like passata, potatoes, pasta, rice, and tinned goods, which she supplements with fresh vegetables. 

By her definition, a minimalist approach to food also means keeping a tidy and well-organised pantry, preparing a weekly meal plan with an accurate shopping list, and cooking with as few kitchen utensils as possible to avoid wasting precious time cleaning. Sticking to a meal plan and avoiding last-minute food prep will also make it easier not to give into the temptation of ordering takeaway or going out for dinner too often, especially after a long day at work. 

You might ask: What does a minimalist restaurant experience even look like? It can range from dishes prepared with few ingredients to small portion sizes, to embracing raw foods, to the aesthetic presentation of the offer, decor and menu. Minimalist food is not necessarily vegan, vegetarian or raw, but many minimalists do stick to those diets.

In this sense, food-porn, all-you-can-eat restaurants, buffets and fancy molecular gastronomy are all the polar opposite of the food minimalist philosophy. According to blogs, the minimalist approach to eating out can reference anything from avoiding large-scale distribution to eating only local seasonal products.

One of the clearest attempts at culinary minimalism is Scandinavian cuisine. As an example of that, Norwegian food journalist Melissa Fort suggests the Norwegian tradition of the Oslo Breakfast: One or two slices of rye bread with margarine and cheese for lunch; day in, day out. 

The legacy of a 1930s governmental programme designed to feed impoverished children in elementary school, this simple lunch is still enjoyed by millions in one of the world’s happiest countries, as the author puts it. Having this meal every day might be boring, but “it keeps you in shape, and you don’t have to worry about what to make for lunch and how much it’s going to cost you”, Fort writes.

Valerio Serino, an Italian chef who opened his own restaurant, Tèrra, in Copenhagen, is trying to implement some of these concepts. “Minimalism is part of the culture here, it’s understood as pure functionality,” Serino says. He agrees with Potinga about the fact that Italian food is generally quite minimalist, because it’s based on simple ingredients of humble origin. 

“Living in Copenhagen, but carrying this cultural heritage within me, I began to blend the two cultures, Italian and Nordic, in my own interpretation of minimalist cuisine,” he says. “To me, minimalism also means using mostly plant-based ingredients and hardly any animal fats and proteins to create a simple menu.”

To many minimalism enthusiasts, adopting a minimalist diet is a chance to rewrite their relationship with food in a world where it is all but too available to some. Too much choice, too much fat, too many kitchen appliances can easily turn into a source of stress, boredom and nervousness. 

One way to start implementing this into your life is by trying the 90/90 rule proposed by the Minimalists’ blog. “Pick something. Anything. Have you used that item in the last 90 days? If you haven't, will you use it in the next 90? If not, then it's okay to let go,” their blog reads. Most people have applied the rule to their wardrobes and homes, but it can be useful in the kitchen, too.

Alternatively, you could start not by getting rid of stuff, but by considering a few things during your next shopping trip. Every time you pick up an item, you should ask yourself, ‘Will I eat or cook this in the next 90 days?’; ‘Does this item risk going to waste in my fridge?’; ‘Do I have a duplicate or a similar item at home that I’m not really using?’; ‘Is this food sustainable?’; ‘Is it practical, for instance, to take this to the office?’, or ‘Do I have enough to snack on if I’m hungry?’

You can also try to get serious about your meal planning, making sure you go to the supermarket as little as possible and get absolutely everything you need for the whole week. Food minimalism is about applying a minimalist mindset to food – whatever that means to you.