Hysteresis is a food and drink research practice that responds to the realities of irreversible change. Borrowing its name from ecology—where it describes systems that do not return to their original state after disruption—Hysteresis asks how culinary traditions, ingredients, and methods adapt when environments and societies shift.
We often work with overlooked, surplus, or stressed materials — reframing them not as symbols of scarcity but as proposals for adaptation. By translating ecological and social complexity into edible stories, Hysteresis creates sensory experiences that open new conversations on resilience, sustainability, and transformation.
Previous projects and products
Drought Bar — What happens to vineyards and grape varieties under climate change? We explored these questions through experiments and stories, presenting the effects of drought and the possibilities of adaptation in the form of food and drink.
Kékfrankó — A biodistillate made from Kékfrankos grapes: produced from sun-dried, raisined grapes through traditional passive drying, then distilled and barrel-aged. Created as part of the Balaton-Friendly Garden project in collaboration with BioVitis Winery, this limited edition reinterpreted a household practice. It highlighted the value of local, small-scale viticulture and knowledge tied to the landscape in a wine region where sustainability and the preservation of the traditional cultural landscape are increasingly under pressure.
szabadonbalaton Concept Bar — A pop-up bar that translated Lake Balaton's - the biggest Central-European lake - ecological processes – such as algal blooms and nutrient loads – into Balaton-specific foods and drinks, creating a platform for dialogue between researchers and lake users. Over the years, many actions and tastings followed: we reimagined fish bait boilies as nutrient-dense finger foods for humans, made algae ice cream, shoreline-defense lángos and mud cocktails. Guests could also try algae spritzers and seaweed chips, playful translations of ecological phenomena into flavors.
Balatorium Menu — An ecological-gastronomic series where renowned Balaton restaurants and cafés and the szabadonbalaton team jointly presented the ecological challenges of the region through tastes and drinks. The menu included water chestnut shots and desserts, reed-silt lángos - fried flatbread - and biscuits, algae drinks and algae-foam coffee. It showcased lesser-known but locally sourced ingredients that were both delicious and carriers of ecological stories.
Water Chestnut Compote — A supporter’s product highlighting Balaton’s aquatic plants and once-common famine foods. Using water chestnuts collected from the Kis-Balaton - ecological and filter puffer area of the Balaton region, we prepared a spiced compote that recalled the flavors of the past while drawing attention to the plant’s ecological significance. The water chestnut is edible, nutrient-rich, and supports water self-purification; once abundant in the Balaton, today it survives mainly in the Kis-Balaton.
Fruit of the Pool — A tasting project spotlighting the rapidly changing landscape of the Balaton uplands. It questioned how the values of nature and landscape are being distorted by holiday plots, swimming pools, roads, and “agricultural holiday homes.” From these transforming orchards and “fruit skins,” we offered tastes and conversations — drinks made from local fruits that revealed where so-called landscape and land-development ambitions clash with human demands.
Slaughter the Water — An edible performance-installation that evoked the dried riverbed and canal system of Marseille’s Aygalades stream, which is part of the Mediterranean catchment area of France. Through works made of plant “skins” and “water bodies,” and a tasting created from local ingredients, we recalled the stream’s histories – such as its role in tanning – then walked up to its source to collect clean water, making the much-endured stream’s story drinkable for the duration of the performance.
Why it matters
Food and drink are tools for making ecological and social transformations tangible. Hysteresis is not simply about consumption, but about practicing adaptation: tasting resilience, rethinking consumption, and creating shared stories from the experience of change.
For collaborations or event partnerships, reach us at:
→services@pad.network
