14 photos of 3D-printed food you can actually eat

Is that art? A sculpture? A toy? No. Actually, it's lunch.

3D printing devices are now being developed to print edible food, including desserts, pizzas, and burgers. It sounds futuristic, but the technology has been around for years.

Users place ingredients, usually pureed or otherwise processed into a thin paste, into capsules. The printer then dispenses ("prints") the supplied material following a distinct pattern, layering it until it forms a distinct shape. These are "printed" goldfish:

Keep reading to see 14 examples of the future of food.

Created with Pinya2, a 3D Printer specializing in liquids, this is a snack of printed hummus with a basil and avocado spread.

Another Pinya2 design, this is hummus dyed with icing to turn it blue. The intricate pattern is created by following a pre-programmed "printing path."

Food printers come with pre-programmed patterns that the user can choose from. The device then "prints" ingredients into the shape created by repetitiously layering the pattern.