Food Detectives: Solving the Minifig Mystery Meal

The assortment of LEGO food elements is rich enough to build a creator’s sweetest dreams: food scenes! Think about building the grocery store, organizing a festive dinner, opening a LEGO high-class restaurant or cooking some great delicious life-size MOC. But the more LEGO makes food parts, the more we touch upon a fun riddle as builders as we identify these parts: What is this twig part from - a carrot or tomato? If it's a simple cheese slope, what type of cheese is this?

The ambiguity is part of the fun, but it smells like a perfect puzzle that can be solved and cooked in our newest media show!

The Premise of the Show

Welcome to Food Detectives - the first show that combines LEGO cooking and criminalistics! The participants have to become a real Sherlock Holmes and solve the "culinary crime" analyzing the evidence left behind by our famous chef, Culinary "Moriarty"!

The contestant detectives will try to guess the dish and recreate it carefully. The team that produces the right version and cooks the perfect dish for the chef will win the competition. So, let the investigation begin!

The Culinary Clues

Here are the clues our contestants have to investigate!

The Determined Detectives 

Equipped with inquisitive minds, Sam and Fred have already come to the scene of the crime. They have only ten minutes to find all the evidence and decipher a riddle from the chef. Our heroes have just found a well-known spice derived from the flower 'autumn crocus'...

Their competitors, Hayley and Audrina, are the girls of action and quick thinking. I'll bet anything they'll develop their hypothesis in five minutes!

Audrina: "Well, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to realize that Professor Moriarty was frying an onion in salad-oil".

New hidden evidence will add more intriguing color and charm to the future dish.

Fred: "The signs are becoming clear that our dish must be cooked in some nice tomato sauce."

Audrina: "Ugh, that was probably a squid…"

Hayley: "Thanks, Audrina, I’ll take your word for it!"

Sam: "You such a fan of Parmesan, Fred! Who would have thought it?"

Fred: "This riddle is made for me!"

Between us, only two ingredients make this puzzle really complicated! They can become a precious clue for the detectives or the cause of their mistake because they are used for two well-known dishes at a time.

Hayley: "Mmmh, the incomparable flavor of saffron!"

Audrina: "What is it? Looks like something alien!"

Oops, the girls haven't heard about this kitchen utensil! Maybe their culinary knowledge will help them win without this mysterious mechanism.

 The Secret Dish

The dish's name is a mystery for our detectives but not for our spectators - let's bring you in on the secret! Today, Chef Moriarty has cooked the traditional Sicilian dish, Arancini, fried or baked rice balls with different fillings (this time - with seafood).

But you have to keep the secret! Our detectives are still pondering how the clues all mix together! Let’s return to the scene of the crime, and see how chef Moriarty created his dish.

The Ingredients

The dish can be deciphered with the following signs:

 Arborio rice

Eggs in the fridge

Saffron for the gold color of the rice

Grated Parmesan cheese

Shrimp, mussels and squid

Breadcrumbs on the table and a special clue: a mold for Arancini form

Canned tomatoes in a blender

Frying pan with salad-oil

Time is Ticking!

Meanwhile, the culinary detectives must hurry up...

Audrina: "Let's check out what treasures I can find in the ocean depths..."

Hayley: "Your efforts are rewarded! We're going to cook shrimp, yay!"

Sam: "I see, our Moriarty was peeling the mussels. I love this dish more and more, whatever it is!"

Chef Moriarty is enjoying the show in front of a monitor and listening to the detectives' versions in a secret studio. It's time for him to chat with both teams...

Chef: "Guys, you have three minutes left to choose the dish you are going to cook!"

Audrina: "Hmm... Only Arborio rice was used among other jars. The circle of suspects of dishes is narrowing... Hayley, these are breadcrumbs! I think they are used for Arancini!"

Hayley: "Amazing, yes, we discovered the answer to the mystery dish! Now it's time to show our culinary talent!"

As you might expect, the eggs set the guys on the wrong track: they thought that they were used for Risotto with seafood. Anyway, they still have plenty of time to change their version during the cooking process!

So, our detective teams have made their choice, and now the Culinary Moriarty will test their cooking skills. Stay tuned to BrickNerd for the exciting conclusion coming soon!

Have you ever looked around a kitchen to see what’s going to be for dinner? Have you ever figured it out, and then ordered pizza? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Lukas Kurth from StoneWars, Wayne Tyler, LeAnna Taylor, Monica Innis, and Dan Church to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.