Have you ever heard that you can bake amazing chocolate-free chocolate cookies from beer brewing leftovers or that porridge doesn’t always have to be sweet? If not, you’re in the right place, because we’re here to tell you all about what happened at the upcycled recipe development workshop organized by Secontaste, Grapoila and TREAT .
In less than a week, more than 60 people signed up for the program. After our first event in Szeged, 26 enthusiastic participants – upcycling rookies and seasoned pros alike – came together at Mad Dog Coffee Hangár in Budapest on November 6 to prove that a kitchen can double as a creative studio and an experimental lab.
The science behind the project
Wondering what brought so many people together? We think it’s the curiosity to discover what can be created from upcycled foods at home. Our participants were brave enough to experiment with something as oddly named as "brewer’s spent grain flour" and overcame their neophobia (fear of the unfamiliar – by the end of the workshop, it was nowhere to be found). Or maybe they were just intrigued by the idea of how byproducts could go from brewery to pantry to plate.
The workshop was part of an exciting international project called BIOECO-UP, organized in collaboration with the Bay Zoltán Research Institute. This project promotes the bio-based economy (bioeconomy) while giving consumers a hands-on role in food development. We used the Living Lab concept: participants didn’t just observe; they asked questions, shared ideas, and provided direct feedback to ensure that the results were genuinely useful. This collaborative approach not only makes food more sustainable but also highlights how much your opinion matters in shaping the products that land on store shelves.
Photo by: Dániel Gaál
What Happened at the Workshop?
We kicked things off with a short presentation introducing participants to the concepts of upcycling, zero-waste production, and the mission of our organizers: Dalmadi Julcsi, Pinczés Marianna, and Geiger Bianka. But don’t worry, it wasn’t one of those dry, textbook-style lectures. It was an interactive conversation with questions and answers flying around, sparking everyone’s imagination about the untapped potential of overlooked byproducts.
Chocolate-Free Chocolate Cookie Baking
Think you can only make chocolate cookies with actual chocolate? Think again! Here, the star of the show was brewer’s spent grain flour, left over after brewing stout beer. It gave the cookies a unique flavor and a high fiber content – win-win!
Mastering Customization: Everyone got to decide how much of each ingredient to use, like adjusting the ratio of regular flour in their mix. Some experimented with minimal fats, while others jazzed up their recipe with peanut butter.
The Taste Test: After a quick 15 minutes in the oven, each participant showcased their cookies, shared what they put into them, and rated their results. Some turned out crumbly, others a bit dry, with toppings ranging from seeds to dried fruits – every cookie told its own story.
Photos by: Dániel Gaál
Porridge Mixing with Bianka Geiger
Porridge doesn’t always have to be the same old bowl of oats – it can be a creative playground, sweet or savory! Instead of giving a strict recipe, Bianka taught us a method to whip up the perfect instant porridge anytime, anywhere. Bonus: it’s shelf-stable, so you can prep it ahead of time and just add water when you’re ready.
Personal Stories: The porridge-mixing started with participants drawing inspiration from the flavors of their favorite comfort foods. Porridge that tastes like spaghetti Bolognese? Or maybe ‘Aranygaluska’ (Hungarian walnut dumplings with vanilla sauce) in porridge form? The motto: anything goes, everything’s possible!
Upcycled Ingredients: Spinach powder, carrot fiber, Grapoila seed flours – participants could experiment with these lesser-known, creative ingredients, discovering their potential firsthand.
Photos by: Dániel Gaál
And the Results?
The cookies and porridges created during the workshop were not only delicious but also incredibly inspiring – proving that it’s worth experimenting with new ingredients in our own kitchens. The recipe testing concluded successfully, and after the event, we gathered detailed feedback from participants through a questionnaire. We wanted to know their thoughts on upcycled ingredients, how easy they found them to use, and any suggestions they had for improvement. These insights will help ensure that these products can one day make their way onto store shelves.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their valuable contributions to the development of these foods! 💚 Special thanks to the Bay Zoltán Research Institute for making it possible for us to be part of the BIOECO-UP project, an international initiative that brings the development of upcycled foods closer to consumers, increasing their awareness and acceptance.
While this process has now come to an end, next time, you could be a Taste tester as well! 🍪 If you’d love to try upcycled foods and get inspired by the zero-waste tips of the organizers, check out Secontaste’s and Grapoila’s websites.
More interested in the experience, the joy of baking, and tasting together? Don’t worry, there will be more events like this! Sign up for our mailing list to be the first to hear about the next workshop.
Want to see more? Check out our gallery of the event 👇
Photos by: Dániel Gaál