The food in these trippy photos looks real — but it's mostly made from plastic

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The food in the new book "Nearly Eternal," looks real, but there are a few details that hint at the truth. A levitating spoon sprinkles sugar on a grapefruit. A floating fork twirls spaghetti, and another pair of chopsticks grips egg yolks.

The suspended silverware — and the fact that most of the food is made from plastic, according to the book's co-creator and photographer Norbert Schoerner. For "Nearly Eternal," he worked with art director Steve Nakamura to push the boundaries of the food photography genre.

Take a look at Schoerner and Nakamura's surreal food photo series, which you can order here.

The name of the book, "Nearly Eternal," refers to the act of achieving immortality or perfection, Nakamura tells Tech Insider. At first glance, the food in the photos appears real, but when you look closer, you notice that it's plastic. "They're close to perfect, but not quite: nearly eternal," he says.

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To plan the book, Schoerner and Nakamura visited plastic food sample manufacturers along the Japanese countryside, a process that took about a year.

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All except for a few of the dishes — like this apple — are plastic models, meant to make the viewer wonder if the food is real or not.

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