Pizza, soda, oil the CBD in the plate or curiosity without the effects

Le cannabidiol, ou CBD, s'annonce comme la molécule la plus en vogue de la décennie. Supposé relaxant et dépourvu d’effet stupéfiant, cet actif issu du cannabis fait le buzz en France depuis presque cinq ans, rapporte Lucille Gauthier, directrice de tendance chez Peclers Paris. Exit les ingrédients dopants et les injonctions de la performance, cet engouement s'explique surtout, selon la spécialiste, par «un réel besoin d'échapper à un quotidien devenu trop anxiogène»»»». Aujourd’hui autorisé en Europe, le CBD est commercialisé sous différentes formes et sous certaines conditions (son taux de THC ne doit pas dépasser 0,2%, NDLR). Fleurs séchées, e-liquide, huiles… Le CBD a désormais pignon sur rue en France. Et après avoir envahi les marchés du bien-être et de la cosmétique, ladite molécule s’impose peu à peu dans les cuisines des restaurants, que ce soit dans les pizzas, les pâtisseries ou même le vin. Mais derrière le marketing, quel est son réel intérêt dans notre assiette ? Réponses avec le médecin Pascal Douek, le chef pâtissier Philippe Conticini, Lucille Gauthier, directrice de tendance, Aurélien Bernard et Alexandre Perez, tous deux fondateurs de sociétés spécialisées dans la vente de produits à base de CBD.

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A tiny quantity, even unnoticed

If you are looking for any euphoric effect, go your way.The CBD is "neither toxic nor psychoactive and therefore does not modify the sensations that we can have" by consuming an enriched food with this molecule, confirms Pascal Douek, doctor and nutritionist expert in medical cannabis.On the other hand, it has "soothing properties that reduce anxiety, improve sleep disorders and help support certain pain", specifies the author of the book Le Cannabis Medical, a new chance,published in the fall (1).

To prepare a CBD meal, it is customary to use the asset in the form of oil."The integrated dose, with a number of drops, will be precisely ours and will aim to meet our specific needs", explains Alexandre Perez, founder of the brand of hemp oil and Divie Divie.But in the restaurant or in the store, when the CBD is incorporated, without any personalization, in a context where customers are multiple, the effects are no longer the same."If we do not know the product, its effects can be difficult to identify, or even go unnoticed," nuance Aurélien Bernard, founder of Frenchfarm.AC, company specializing in the sale of CBD products.Indeed, the time that cannabidiol is digested and metabolized by the liver, before finally reaching blood circulation, only a tiny part can be assimilated through a bite of bread or a spoonful of honey.

Because, to feel the benefits of the CBD, the body needs time so that the molecule acts permanently: "or from a period ranging from 5 to 15 days to learn to recognize this molecule", specifies Aurélien Bernard."CBD is not an immediate anxiety treatment.It's very progressive, attests Doctor Douek.People wishing to reduce their stress, for example, consume CBD oil by gradually increasing the doses.And this rhythm will spread over several days before finding the right dose and obtaining the expected effect.It is therefore not in the kitchens of a restaurant that you will receive personalized support capable of responding to your ailments, "says the doctor."Either we feel the need to consume it for its benefits, in which case the process is done in a framed and recommended manner, or it is a question of taste, and in this case, the CBD abandons the universe of well-beingto turn to what the ingredient can offer.»»»»

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A culinary challenge

Pour Alexandre Perez, la puissance aromatique très prononcée de cette «molécule du bien-être »»»» mérite pourtant qu’on y prête attention. «Cette nouvelle saveur, à la fois moderne et précurseur, doit être très excitante à travailler quand ton métier est de créer du goût»»»», avance-t-il.And he doesn't think so well.When others season their pizza of dried CBD flowers to replace oregano or dilute CBD in a hibiscus soda, pastry chef Philippe Conticini, he is one of the rare gourmets to really grasp this opportunitycreative to transform it.Especially since, according to Lucille Gauthier, it would be a "super ingredient rich in omega and protein"»»...So when the company Frenchfarm.AC is asking him to offer him a collaboration that would honor the CBD in his cakes, this major figure of contemporary gastronomy is immediately won over by the challenge.

Désireux de retrouver le goût de «l’herbe»»»» qui avait marqué son palais lorsqu'il était jeune, le chef s’est ainsi familiarisé avec ce nouvel ingrédient : un liquide sirupeux enrichi en CBD, créé spécialement pour lui."From the moment I dipped my finger in this product, I understood all the power and the interest offered by the CBD," says Philippe Conticini.Almost as instantly came to me the associations of tastes: first citrus fruits, then the pepper of the Timut, finally white chocolate.»»"Thus is born Cirrus, a cake in the shape of a cloud with tangy notes, and the success which accompanies it in stride.But before reaching this enticing dessert, it took a lot of tests to succeed in tameing the herbaceous bitterness of the CBD."Each cake contains 0.21 g of CBD," says the pastry chef.We tried a little above but the taste in the mouth was too strong, we tried a little below, it was not enough.»»"We could have joined a higher dose to benefit from more intense effects but the bitterness would have completely taken over the rest of the cake, confirms Aurélien Bernard.However, it is above all the tasting that prevails when it is made available to a clientele.»»»»

Since then, the cake has already been available for Valentine's Day, and the chef is currently preparing a novelty in which he intends to combine chocolate and CBD tablet. «Plus j'apprends à connaître ce produit, plus je le comprends et mieux je le maîtrise»»»», confie-t-il.Because here, everything is to be discovered: the different ways of manipulating it, associating it, raising it, staging ... Next challenge for the goldsmith of pastry?Hemp seeds."I would like to know how to know their texture precisely," he says.Know if it cracks, if it crunches to see how to integrate them into my next pastry.In a passion dessert, for example, the seeds bring a real staging in the evolution of the tasting, to finally gain importance at the end.»»»»Green light for this beautiful audacity that will tighten the most curious gourmets palace, failing to make them hover.

(1) Medical cannabis, a new chance by Pascal Douek, Solar editions, 272 pages, € 19.40.