Published on : 18 March 20202 min reading time

Food fusion has become more and more successful in recent years. Its particularity to surprise and “shock” the taste buds with new and surprising flavours has conquered many followers. The phenomenon is becoming more and more widespread. It is even esteemed by the greatest gastronomic chefs. Just like Nikkei cuisine. Zoom in on the history, concept and characteristics of food fusion.

A mix of flavours and cultures

The concept of food fusion or fusion cuisine is a culinary notion based on the combination of different cuisines, cultures and techniques from several countries in the same dish. Examples include the maki (type of sushi) fusion adapted to French gastronomy with goat cheese or foie gras or the famous Nikkei cuisine, which is the meeting of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. Discover the concept of food fusion, and among others this famous Nikkei cuisine, which is concretely the mixture of raw fish (a speciality of Japanese restaurants) with Peruvian spices. You can visit the website of the specialist of Nikkei cuisine and sushi in Paris.

Its characteristics

Fusion cuisine is therefore characterized by the combination of several dishes from different cultures with a single rule, giving room for creativity to create unique flavors. It allows you to revisit traditional dishes by adding exoticism and bringing together unusual ingredients or new sweet and savoury mixes. But beware, food fusion is not about mixing everything and anything. It is characterized above all by the mastery of the balance of tastes in order to reveal a flavour. Indeed, you need to understand how the different aromas and flavours interact when combined. This delicious dish, this takeaway sushi that you enjoy so much is therefore the result of very meticulous work.

A little story about fusion food

Food fusion seems to have emerged in the 1970s and 1980s. The term was first used by chef Norman Van Aken, an experienced globetrotter and self-taught chef, who at the time was based in Key West, Florida, USA. He created the New World Cuisine, a cuisine derived from the various immigrants to the United States, by adapting foreign cuisine to local production. He used the term “fusion” to refer to the combination of techniques, ingredients and flavours to create original dishes.