Close-Up Cuisine

What exactly are we eating?

That’s the question that Caren Alpert sets out to answer in her “Terra Cibus” series of micrographs of food. (Terra cibus means, loosely, sustenance from the land.) Ms. Alpert, a San Francisco-based food photographer, got the idea a couple of years ago as more people were starting to ask about the origins of their meals. Now she’s captured the minute details of food, from almonds to Oreos, with the help of a scanning electron microscope.

Terra Cibus No. 1 Blueberry

Terra Cibus No. 4 Fortune Cookie

Terra Cibus No. 5 Salt

Terra Cibus No. 12 Cake Sprinkles

Terra Cibus No. 15 Brussels Sprout

Terra Cibus No. 10 Kiwi Seed

Terra Cibus No. 33 Pineapple Leaf

Terra Cibus No. Shrimp