You won't believe what these students prepared for a meal in space. Culinary art is a way to enjoy flavors, textures, and aromas through food. However, when it comes to the food that astronauts will consume in space, art blends with science. Do you know the formula for creating the perfect chocolate? Discover it here! The program known as HUNCH (High School students United with NASA to Create Hardware) organized a competition where high school students from all over the United States prepared various dishes designed to accompany astronauts on their journey to the space station next year. Take advantage of seasonal ingredients to prepare healthy and delicious recipes. In order to choose the winning dish, the jury (composed of NASA astronauts and food specialists) evaluated the taste, texture, aroma, appearance, and overall sensory experience of each dish. One of the most relevant aspects of this competition is that students had to follow the same nutritional guidelines set by the NASA department responsible for preparing food for astronauts. [caption id="attachment_22240" align="aligncenter" width="4928"] Location: Space Center Houston
Photographer: NASA / David DeHoyos[/caption] We recommend: Did you know that food can already be printed? Among the conditions set by NASA, it was required to reduce the sodium content in the food, so students replaced salt with other spices to add flavor to their dishes. We recommend: Replace salt with these 6 healthy alternatives. The winning dish will be part of the menu during the United States' space station journey in 2017. In this edition of the competition, the winning option was a red pepper risotto, created by the team from Wayne, New Jersey. [caption id="attachment_22241" align="aligncenter" width="4382"] Location: Space Center Houston
Photograph: NASA / David de Hoyos[/caption] Recipe: If you like red pepper, you must try this chicken recipe. All the recipes of the finalist dishes, including the second place, a zucchini puree with nuts, and third place, a paella with brown rice, will be published in a recipe book for astronauts before they travel to space.