The Brutalist Kitchen Manifesto

Part cookbook, part art book, part manifesto, this visionary volume by internationally renowned artist Carsten Höller sits at the intersection of contemporary art and cuisine

The Brutalist Kitchen Manifesto is not a conventional cookbook. Its recipes belong to a wider artistic statement, in which every dish is built around a single primary culinary product.

The book traces the ideas behind Höller’s groundbreaking restaurant in Stockholm, Brutalisten, open from May 2022 to December 2025, where every dish was built around a single product, with only water and salt being added. Höller’s gastronomic approach reveals the essential character of these raw materials, challenging conventional ideas of taste, luxury, and excess, while celebrating simplicity, sustainability, and craftsmanship.

In The Brutalist Kitchen Manifesto, Höller invites home cooks and adventurous experimenters alike to encounter the making of food in an entirely new way. The recipes are divided into three categories: Orthodox Brutalist, where nothing is added; Brutalist, with one product plus salt and water; and Semi-Brutalist, which allows a couple of ingredients. Mushrooms 'Carsten', Mackerel in Mackerel Sauce, Salt-Fried Prawns with their Own Roe, Whole Roasted Monkfish Head, Chicatana Ant, 'Île Flottante' with Chicken Caramel and Smreka Martini – these, and a host of other bold dishes spanning vegetables, seafood, meat, drinks, and fruit, each embody Höller’s singular vision and philosophy.

Featuring a series of thought-provoking essays and striking photography throughout, this compelling culinary manifesto captures one of the most intriguing approaches to contemporary art and food today.

• Format: Hardback
• Dimensions: 270mm x 205mm
• Pages: 384
• Brand: Phaidon
• ISBN: 9781837293612