By Iris Mbok, Year 11
From Mexican Taco Pizzas to Ramen Carbonara, fusion cuisine has been a way to exchange culinary heritage for centuries. Although the label was only recently coined, this unique method of combining flavours originates from Macanese cuisine; a mix of Portuguese and Chinese ingredients dating back to the 16th Century has since become a thrilling way of integrating cultures and identity through food.
With the rise of the famous social media platform Tik-Tok, many users have been exposed to viral food videos such as Sushi Burritos, Buldak Carbonara Ramen, Mafé Burgers and so much more! This merging of Western and Eastern palettes has managed to break down cultural barriers while simultaneously providing delicious, trendy recipes that can easily be recreated at home.
Starting in the East, many Asian cuisines have been incorporated into Western dishes. The “Sushi Burrito” is a convenient recipe that combines the structure of a traditional Mexican burrito to the symphony of flavours found in sushi. Fusion food is all about creativity and boundless experimentation, therefore making the one key feature of this genre: the use of different aspects of a dish and merging them into a whole.
Slightly moving to the West, is the birthplace of the “Buldak Carbonara Ramen”, South Korea. This groundbreaking, new form of instant noodles has been an online sensation in these last few months. Whether it is a university student with limited time and a strict budget, or an influencer with thousands of followers, more than 1 million videos have been posted of this dish on Tik-Tok. These noodles are made up of the fiery Korean spicy chicken flavour of Buldak with an Italian touch. The Italian aspect to this recipe is showcased in its creamy sauce made up of eggs, bacon, parmesan and cream which stems from the popular dish “Carbonara”.
Further down, in Africa, right on the Equator, the vibrant dish of “Mafé” is a staple in Mali. This chicken stew submerged in a peanut-based sauce has travelled all the way to Bomaye in Paris. This small restaurant in the center of Paris specializes in making burgers with traditional West African flavours. Similar to the Sushi Burritos, these burgers have kept the traditional structure of the classic American dish, however with a twist. Bomaye’s extensive menu offers a mouth-watering array of fillings ranging from Mafé to a Banana Plantain Patty, another traditional dish eaten in West Africa.
Fusion cuisine may be correlated to street food, but it can also be viewed through a high-end lens! Many professional chefs, most famously Wolfgang Puck, gave fusion food its first big push and since then have been credited for introducing the term into everyday language. Subsequent to bringing fusion food to the culinary scene, nowadays it is common to find upscale restaurants that marry Western and Eastern flavours. A culinary phenomenon as such being introduced in the world of fine-dining shows to what extent fusion food is an adaptable genre of cuisine.
Finally, in an age of rapid globalization, it is crucial to understand and appreciate each other’s cultures through the one thing all human beings have in common: our love for food!
