What is Fusion Food?

When we talk about fusion in the context of cooking, it refers to the merging of cooking traditions or techniques to create a new type of dish or flavour experience. Fusion food has become increasingly popular over the past few years, as foodies want to try the best of a variety of world cuisine while exploring new and exciting dishes. One of the most common forms of fusion food is regional fusion, which sees the combination of foods from different parts of the world. Fusion food allows for experimentation with flavour, texture and technique, making for endless fun in restaurants and home cooking. Perhaps the most well-known example of fusion food is “Tex-Mex”, the fusion of Mexican and American cuisine, which is now its own distinct cuisine style in its own right. Some examples of popular fusion foods are those that simply mash two names together, such as ‘pizza-taco’, ‘cro-nut’, or ‘sushi-burrito’.

How Do You Make Fusion Cuisine?

Fusion food can be created in an endless number of ways - that’s part of the joy of fusion cuisine! One example of the way fusion food can be made is by taking a culinary technique and using it to create a dish using ingredients from a different dish. A great example of this is sushi pizza, a fusion of sushi and pizza that uses the ingredients of a sushi roll but is constructed to look like a pizza. Another way of achieving food fusion is to combine two culinary styles to create a new and distinctive dish. For example, you could make a pasty filled with Thai red chicken curry. This would be a fusion between the technique of crafting a Cornish pasty and the flavour and filling of a Thai red curry. Another example of this would be a Chicken Katsu Scotch Egg, which combines the methods of creating a classic British Scotch egg with that of a beloved street food favourite from Japan.

Why is Fusion Food So Popular?

There are many reasons why fusion foods are so popular, but one of the most obvious is the fact that they can mash up two great dishes to form something even better that uses the best of both original dishes. Chefs also love fusion food as it allows them to get inventive and create something that makes them stand out from the competition. It gives an opportunity to craft a truly unique dish that they can call their own. Fusion food also provides chefs with a chance to branch out into other cuisines if they work at a restaurant that is focused on a specific region’s cuisine.

History of Fusion Food

With early travellers of the world exchanging ingredients and culinary techniques, fusions of cuisine have been around for thousands of years. When we think about most dishes, they will have had influences from many different origins. One of the earliest forms of fusion food is pasta, which is believed to have been inspired by noodles from China, which were brought to the Italians during the 13th Century. The UK is full of fusions that are now staple dishes, such as Kedgeree, a mix of Scottish and Indian cuisine.

Asian Fusion Food

One of the most popular types of fusion food is ‘Asian Fusion’ - a style of food that uses traditional ingredients, techniques and dishes from Asia as influences and inspirations for fusion cuisine. Some common examples of Asian fusion are Asian-Mexican, Asian-American, and Asian-French food. Dishes like Kimchi Quesadillas, California Rolls (American take on Sushi) and Bahn Mi (Vietnamese meats and vegetables in a French baguette) are great examples of Asian Fusion dishes.

Find out more in our blog on the difference between pan Asian and fusion food.