The taste of asteroids: delicious ideas to create in the kitchen

Asteroids can be delicious, but don’t worry –you won’t taste stones, dust or metals! It’s a chance to teach and learn about asteroids at one of the best times of the day, bringing families and friends together. From your home kitchen, you can show off your cooking skills and at the same time talk about science with a video or a live stream.

We’ve compiled a list of events to inspire your next Asteroid Day cooking event!

Impact experiment with chocolate asteroids and a cake, demonstrated in the 2017 edition of Asteroid Day LIVE

In the 2017 Asteroid Day LIVE broadcast, astronaut Jean-François Clervoy joined the team at Luxembourg Science Center to carry out a chocolatey asteroid experiment. They prepared chocolate truffle asteroids and simulated impacts on an iced cake, which represented the lunar surface. Within this delicious experiment, it was possible to explain the shape of asteroids, the transfer of energy, how shock waves are formed, the creation of craters and the consequences of an impact. Watch this event here.

Ecotarium Museum demonstration on asteroid characteristics using marshmallow and candies.

The Ecotarium Museum of Science and Nature in Worcester, USA, participated in Asteroid Day 2021 explaining the main characteristics of an asteroid using a marshmallow and candies. You can watch this presentation here.

Demonstration by the National Space Center demonstrating the effect of an asteroid’s friction on the Earth’s atmosphere.

The National Space Centre from Leicester, United Kingdom, demonstrated the composition and the shape of meteorites using chocolate, biscuits, butter, small marshmallows and rice krispies. In another experiment, also using marshmallows, they demonstrated the effect of friction that an asteroid suffers when entering Earth’s atmosphere. Their lesson also touched on meteors and the characteristics of meteorites when found on the surface. Watch that video here.

Solar System schematic idea created by Kidspot using fruits and grains.

The Kidspot from New Zealand created a Solar System scheme using fruits and grains. In this activity you can also show where the Asteroid Belt is, where the boundary between rocky and gaseous planets, and a comparison of the size of planets. See how to do this.

Cake prepared by Astro Club Iasi and Astro Club Pegas on Asteroid Day 2021.

Birthdays and other important moments can coincide with Asteroid Day, making for yet another reason to celebrate. AstroClubul Iasi and Astroclub Pegas members from Romania organized a joint event and prepared a cake, taking advantage of the coincidence of the Asteroid Day with the date of creation of one of these Astronomy clubs.

Students shaping asteroids with mashed potatoes.

If you are looking for a cool food on a hot day, consider taking inspiration from NASA’s Deep Impact mission, which aimed to spy on what lay beneath the surface of comet Tempel 1. Check out this ice cream recipe to learn the comet’s structure and composition.

Not feeling so sweet? NASA also put together a fun activity for kids to learn about the shape of asteroids using potatoes! Check out this activity here.

Zaucer Pizza from Redmond, USA

Finally, some ingredients can turn into asteroids using one of the most popular foods in the world: pizza. Zaucer Pizza from Redmond, USA, used pieces of sausage to represent asteroids in a Main Belt-inspired pizza. Find these ingredients and other versions of this pizza here.

When it’s time to prepare, call the kids and be interdisciplinarity. While they help or assist, notions about temperature, measurements, percentages and fractions can be worked with the ingredients. These activities also allow restaurants, cafeterias, bakeries, cafes and pastry shops to participate in Asteroid Day, so invite them and help put together a special menu!

Don’t forget to register your activity. Report here your menu, dish created or demonstration. We will be happy to spread your recipe and share your experience. Bon appetit!