When it comes to nutrition, there is always more to the story than just the science of nutrition. Food itself is relatively straightforward, but the way each individual's body reacts to it is most of the time a mystery. However, there are a bunch of cultural aspects that make the topic even more difficult to navigate — and even more charming, if you ask me.
Traditional Foods in Space
Most people crave the taste of familiar foods, especially when going through a challenge, and astronauts are no exception. While the majority the food on the International Space Station is American and Russian, there have also been efforts by NASA and ESA to provide more culturally diverse food. For example, in 1985, when Saudi Arabian Prince Sultan bin Salman became the first Muslim astronaut, NASA created a menu that was halal-certified, and prepared according to Islamic dietary laws. Similarly, when Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata spent time on the International Space Station, he brought along traditional Japanese dishes such as sushi, miso soup, and green tea. ESA even provides their astronauts with "Bonus Food" boxes; special menus dedicated to an assigned astronaut for a particular mission. This is how French astronaut Thomas Pesquet was able to eat his favourite chocolate bars in space, and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti was able to accompany her meals with top quality olive oil from her home country. These efforts to incorporate traditional foods into astronauts' diets help the crew feel more at home and even boost their morale during long space missions.
The Challenge: Adapting Diets from Different Cultures
As the space sector grows more and more diverse, and astronauts from different countries fly to space, it is crucial to consider their cultural backgrounds when designing their diets. Cultural and religious beliefs often dictate dietary requirements, so it is important to try and accommodate vegetarianism, halal diets, or kosher diets. However, it is not always easy to adapt to different cultures.
Firstly, the food options available in space are limited because few food items are actually suitable to be aboard a spacecraft. The weight and storage constraints are very strict, and not all food items can withstand the temperatures, the lack of gravity, and the radiation exposure aboard the International Space Station. Thus, providing a wide variety of space food is quite a challenge in general, let alone a variety that can accommodate different cultural and religious beliefs. Secondly, there are many sub-categories within these cultural groups, with sometimes different dietary requirements. Attempting to accommodate all preferences would require a great amount of resources and time. So, unfortunately, it is currently not feasible to provide every individual astronaut with their preferred dietary options.
The Opportunity: Developing Space-Specific Culinary Traditions
The development of space-specific culinary traditions would surely help with overcoming the challenges of adapting to different cultures. Of course, some adaptation would still be necessary; preparing and cooking food in the traditional sense would be impossible in zero gravity. But there are some quite fascinating prospects:
Off-Earth Fresh Produce
The ability to grow vegetables and herbs aboard the International Space Station would make astronaut diets more sustainable and nutritious. And these are not the only benefits! We know from studies that growing your own plants can be beneficial for mental health. In addition, fresh produce can add flavour to the freeze-dried meals, leading to the development of space-specific culinary traditions.
Lab-Grown Meat
The practice of growing meat in a lab using animal cells is gaining more and more ground. This would provide astronauts with a sustainable source of animal protein, without the need for live animals, or the resources required to raise them. There could be space-specific dishes where lab-grown meat would be used: burgers, meatballs, stews. Even bacon strips too, but as a dietitian, I would have to comment on their impact on health in that case...
Algae-Based Cuisine
Algae is perfect for space, because it uses minimal resources. Photobioreactors are easy to control and optimise, helping the algae to grow into food suitable for humans, full of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. I can envision astronauts using them in smoothies, shakes, soups, and stews. It. is certain that once it becomes more common in space, new flavours and recipes could be developed, creating yet another unique space-specific culinary tradition.
Fermented Alternative Proteins
Another way to nourish humans while using minimal resources would be microbial protein. One of the pillars of alternative protein industry, fermentation of microbes is already attracting investment capitals even though it's only debuting. Microbes chosen for this practice are safe, packed with nutrients, and can double their biomass in a matter of hours. With some modifications, these microbes will also be able to produce proteins found in eggs, whey, milk, and even substances that give characteristic flavours to most foods we have learned to love. Such innovations would take astronaut cuisine to the next level!