This May Be The First AI-Generated Soup Recipe You'll Actually Want To Eat
Turtle soup. If you're from certain parts of the world, it's a delicacy with a long tradition. However, deeply declining numbers of green sea turtles have become a global concern, right alongside the habit of putting them on the dinner table, so turtle soup is one of those dishes we don't eat anymore in the U.S. To respect the cultural love for the dish while finding a solution to the problem, NotCo, a plant-based food development company based in San Francisco, leaned into its in-house AI program and the expertise of Peruvian Chef Diego Oka to create a turtle-free soup recipe with all the flavor and none of the endangered animal.
To analyze the profile of traditional turtle soup, Chef Oka and NotCo's AI chef traveled to the Cayman Islands, one of the few places the dish is still served publicly. Once there, they sampled and recorded information on every aspect of the soup, from how it was made to the texture, smell, umami, and other flavor highlights. They then took that information back to NotCo's proprietary AI, "Giuseppe," who created a turtle-free recipe you'll want to try — unlike Google's AI-generated cookie bread recipe.
Successfully creating a turtle-free soup
Giuseppe was created specifically to tackle these kinds of food challenges, having already made its mark with plant-based substitutes for milk, cheese, and chicken. But turtle wasn't in the main database, so in order to accurately depict the characteristics of turtle meat, Chef Oka used his expertise to educate Giuseppe about the ingredient. Giuseppe also analyzed thousands of plants at the molecular level to replicate the qualities turtle meat brought to the soup. It then provided eight possible recipes.
Then the real chefs took to the stoves, and after rounds of back and forth between the AI machine and the kitchen, the chefs were satisfied with the recipe. With humans behind the burners, they were able to ensure the final recipe adequately mirrored the texture and taste of traditional turtle soup, including the same gelatinous combination of protein and fat and a flavor reminiscent of the original.
They then headed to Peru to conduct a taste test for locals in a region known for the soup. In a short video, NotCo shows reactions from Peruvians who comment on the similarity of the plant-based soup to their beloved turtle soup. NotCo now plans to share the recipe through an online class meant to encourage a shift away from turtle-based soup. Whether you're craving a flavor you've enjoyed in the past, or you're eager to experience the flavors of turtle soup for the first time, you can sign up for a Not Turtle cooking class at notco.com/us/notturtle.