Om teamet
The book is a box of surprises for inquisitive readers
“Although the book presents laureates from 11 years, we initially had half a dozen other chapters that unfortunately could not be included. The selection was not easy, but the most important criterion was that the readers without medical expertise should be able to comprehend the discoveries and these discoveries should be of significance for humanity.
I am a great friend of general education and am extremely interested in people and what drives and shapes them. Reading the book provides an opportunity to learn these things. If you are also interested in cooking and art, the book is like a box of surprises.”
Medical research combined with people, art and food
“This is the book I personally felt was missing – a book at the heart of the Nobel Prize. It describes the discoveries, the people behind them and how they are celebrated when visiting Stockholm.
This is an idea I’ve had since the mid-1980s. I hope that people who may not normally read about medical research will enjoy how the book brings together insights into the Nobel Prize, the people, the art and the food – and maybe they will try the recipes. My favorite dish from the book is Wolf Paul’s incredibly delicious Grand Marniér souffle.”
Cooking for the Nobel Laureates is an honor
Wolf Paul is celebrating his 40th anniversary as the chef for the Nobel Medical Committee and has composed the recipes for the new book “Visual and culinary delights for Nobel medicine laureates”.
“Cooking for the Nobel Laureates is an honor. The menus follow trends over time, initially, there was more sauce and heavier dishes, always served from silver platters. Nowadays the food is lighter and includes more vegetables and we arrange it on the plate. We want a Swedish touch, which is simpler today compared with the 60s, when Sweden was not as good at food to be honest. Today, Swedish cuisine is brilliant, and all of the necessary ingredients are available.”
From behind the camera
“For five years, I have been privileged and honored to follow the thorough and careful process from behind the camera – from the discussions and voting in the Nobel Assembly to the telephone conversation that forever changes a researcher’s life, as well as the care taken regarding every detail of the Laureates’ week in Stockholm.
My pictures show the people behind the impressive research for which the Nobel Prize in Medicine is bestowed – the world’s most prestigious award is presented for discoveries based on many, many years of work. I also want to highlight Swedish culture. By working on the book, I have learned a lot, about everything from cooking, cheese making, and how fish is smoked the old-fashioned way, to how the diplomas are made, an amazing process, where the paper pulp is produced well in advance, to last for at least 100 years.”
Who could resist the opportunity to work on a book about the Nobel Prize in Medicine?
“It has been a privilege to immerse myself in a number of Nobel Prizes awarded in the ‘service of humanity’ and to discover the medical researchers’ numerous other talents.
The design of a book the link between the author and the reader and should encourage its reading, and, for me, book design is a handcraft. The Danish word for my profession could be translated as ‘corrector’, which is a pretty good description. In my work, I get deeply involved with the details, just like a researcher, and keeping the function in focus also makes for an attractive book.
My favorite picture was taken by Yanan Li in 2018. It shows the Laureates in their excited anticipation and really captures the different personalities and moods behind the scenes. Peter Dahl’s print is another favorite. The ink drawing captures the motion so clearly that the print was actually rejected by the Nobel Committee. But it is included in the book!
Inspiring insights
“I greatly enjoyed translating this book. Not only does it offer inspiring insights into the personal lives of the laureates, but it also reveals to us the special dinners held for them by the medical Nobel Committee. Rita Levi-Montalcini’s story was a particular inspiration, as was the cloudberry parfait – I’ll be making that one myself!”
Bryan Drake PhD, the translator of the book, is an Authorized Translator and language consultant for Swedish companies and organizations.
Associate Professor Johan Wennerberg is the main author of “Visual and culinary delights for Nobel medicine laureates”.
Of the meals presented in the book, the 2015 menu, at which Asian cuisine encountered Nordic cuisine, is Johan’s favorite, for the simple reason that it is, to date, the one dinner he himself has cooked
Ann-Mari Dumanski, who is the initiator of the book, coordinates most of the tasks of the Nobel Secretariat, from receiving the nominations for the medicine prize to arranging the dinners held for the Laureates. Pictured here, a member receives help with his tie just before the press conference commences.
For the past 40 years, chef Wolf Paul has been responsible for the much appreciated dinner arranged by the Medical Nobel Committee for its Laureates. The recipes are included in the book, so anyone with some experience of cooking can serve the menus at home.
Yanan Li came to Sweden from China 20 years ago, to discover what makes Hasselblad’s cameras the best in the world and what gives Ingmar Bergman’s films their specific qualities. Two of his favorite photographs in the book document the atmosphere prior to the Nobel Assembly’s vote and the moments before the 2018 prize winners are to take the stage for the first time as Nobel Laureates in Medicine.
Dick Norberg is a graphic designer and photographer. In 2017, he received the Berlingpriset award, possibly Sweden’s finest award for graphic design. He has also received Svensk Bokkonst’s diploma 15 times, a bronze medal in the “Schönste Bücher aus Aller Welt” competition and his work has been on display at Sweden’s National Museum.
This is the cloudberry parfait that Bryan Drake will make himself. It was the grand finale of the dinner held in honour of the Laureates in Medicine or Physiology in 2015.
