Fusion Cuisine
Amalgamation of certain base recipe ingredients of different cuisines, has given rise to the concept of fusion cuisine or fusion cooking.
This innovative approach was adopted in the 70s by contemporary restaurants, to add a new dimension to culinary cooking. And by winning two awards in 1996 at The Sugar Club: Time Out award for Best Modern British Restaurant and London Evening Standard Eros award for Pacific Rim cuisine, fusion food received much attention.
Despite the popularity, many people, especially food critics view fusion with disdain. They believe classic dishes epitomise culinary finesse, while fusion undermines it. But for chefs it is had been both creative and challenging.
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Fusion cuisine gives an opportunity to combine or change one or more of the main ingredients, spices and cooking techniques in order to create delicious new dishes. Or come up with a creative adaptation of the original ethnic dish. All of this lies on a sound understanding of culinary ingredients or the end result is a disastrous meal.
If one wants to even argue about the authenticity of many cuisines like the Italian, Spanish or Thai they would not be like what they are today. If explorers like Columbus would not have voyaged to distant lands (the new world) and brought vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes, vanilla beans, coco etc or from the Mediterranean region, noodles, orange, lemons or spices from the Far East. Over a period of time these have been incorporated in the local cuisine and grown locally to form an integral part of the European cuisine.
Again with the advent of globalisation people’s expectation and tastes are changing. There is widespread intermixing of cultures. Immigrating population, lower freight rates means more travelling to exotic destinations, business expansions have cut across border differences. All this has resulted in a greater impact being borne on food, giving rise to fusion recipes.
If diners are enjoying this new fusion culture, there is no need for critics to cling to their prejudices; rather it is best to welcome the new culinary innovation. As cooking is a living art which changes with time. But still applauds the glorious past – traditional and classic dishes and paves road for the future.