Cultural Cooking: Exploring World Cuisines for Inspiration

Who loves to cook, or travel? I know I do. I love taking inspiration from other cultures and spicing up my meals, with dreams of sitting somewhere peaceful in a different location enjoying the same food.

Ever since I was younger, I have had a love of baclava which is a Greek dessert. When my mother was in Girl Scouts, her troop had made some for their World Day presentation; and ever since she learned how it became a staple in my house growing up. For those of you who don't know, baclava is a decadent desert known for its layers of thin, flaky pastry dough (usually phyllo dough) that is filled with a chopped nut mixture that can include pistachios, walnuts, and/or almonds; it's topped with a syrup or honey to make it just a tad sticky to eat. I always loved pistachios on mine, as that's an obsession I get from my father.

Despite the delicious foods you can find all around the world, fusion cuisine has become a big thing as of late, combining multiple cuisines into one single dish. Many cooking shows, like Gordon Ramsey's Next Level Chef, have begun to include a fusion dish during the competitions. On Next Level, you have to be quick about choosing what cuisines you are making together (they only get 30 seconds!) and sometimes it can be crazy complicated! If you're in the basement, you have to hope that the really common one (which many people call the "good" ones) haven't been taken. However, some of the combinations that come out of the basement have been done very well!

Obviously, these competitors were fighting at a restaurant level quality and recipes; but keep in mind that some of them are at home or social media cooks, meaning you could probably make something similar at home as well. Let's take a look at some of the uncommon fusions that have come from season 1 Next Level Chef, before mentioning the more commonly found fusions.

Italy and Germany

Home cook Angie was a competitor from left field, who took both her mother's background and her father's background and made Veal Schnitzel with shaved cabbage salad and a soft polenta. While Italy is primarily known for their pastas, and Germany for their sausages and schnitzel, Angie fused her dual heritage together in a way that looked so delicious and gave her a way to the top level. If I knew how to cook with veal (or where to get some in New York), I would definitely try my hand at this unusual and interesting combination!

Brazil and Israel

Competitor Pyet was in the basement, which didn't leave her many options. What came to the basement on the lift was Morocco, China, Brazil, and Israel. Pyet made an achiote rubbed skirt steak, with black beans, a pineapple salsa, and a coconut-date sauce. Now, while I personally may not eat it for fear of anaphylactic shock, this dish and combination got Pyet out of the basement. It was commented on that the presentation hadn't been the best, but the flavours are where it was all at. These two countries and their cuisines are so vastly different but were brought together in an amazing way.

France and Greece

Competitor Tricia unfortunately went home this night due to undercooked chicken in the elimination, but she also had a very difficult combination to work with. Tricia had to combine French and Greek food, while having a primarily Thai background. While both cuisines are European, they are very much the opposite from each other. French Cuisine focuses a lot on using butters and creams, while searching for specific flavours in their combinations and the way they cook their proteins; whereas Greek Cuisine pulls uses more oils and pulls from the natural flavours of each dish, using more seafood than other meats. Tricia went to make a roast duck with béarnaise sauce where her duck was commended for being cooked perfectly, but what caused her downfall was the choice of sauce. Stil, it looked delicious and has me thinking of other things you could do with French and Greek foods; maybe attempting a baclava with crepes instead of phyllo dough?

Let's take a look at some more common fusions, now.

Morocco and China

As mentioned above, competitor Kenny was also in the basement and took the remaining two cuisines. Mostly likely unbeknownst to him, Moroccan and Chinese fusion actually falls under Mediterranean-Asian fusions which are not as uncommon as you would think. While Kenny did, in fact, wind up fighting to stay in elimination, the three Chef judges did all agree that he had a fantastic idea it just fell a bit flat. He took Sweet and Sour Pork and laid it over fried couscous. The dish itself looked delicious and had such an interesting looking mix. When you think of Sweet and Sour Pork, you think of it over white rice. This fusion left me wanting to try it!

Thailand and Mexico

As a competitor, Miriah had been a frount runner from the get-go. For her fusion, she took vermicelli noodles and fried them before putting them in a broth that she had made in a pressure cooker. Asian-Mexican cuisine is a decently known fusion, she managed to hit it on the head with this combination with compliments so high that it makes me want to see what else could be made with these two totally different cuisines. It has made me consider stepping up my game from a more traditional Thai-Mex Chicken Tacos.

India and Italy

While we sadly missed seeing this combination in season 1 of Next Level Chef, this common fusion is one that is so delicious, it leaves your mouth watering. A common recipe found in this fusion would be a tikka masala pasta, which combines the traditional tikka masala sauce and the versatile nature of pasta. While my tikka masala sauce is altered due to my cumin allergy, it is still no less delicious when combined with angel hair pasta, or even ravioli if we are feeling particularly adventurous.

While taking inspiration from cuisines all around the world will definitely spice up your kitchen, there's nothing like trying your hand at fusion cuisine and making something even more delicious, if a bit untraditional. There is nothing wrong with a hit or miss when fusing your cuisines, as cooking should be a fun activity for couples and families; not just something you do every day or giving off a chore like feel. Put some spice in your life and mix it up a bit.

A fun way to do this (especially if you are a meal planner) is to put a bunch of country names in a bowl and mix them up; then let the family pull the names to some up with the fusion theme for the night. It's a fun family activity, and you never know what combination you may get! Until next time friends; stay healthy, stay hydrated, and have fun with your fusion!