Food Fusion ≠ Food Authenticity
“ Food Fusion & Authenticity Not Necessarily Equate “
People often confuse authenticity with fusion. Fusion foods are blends of different cultures’ cuisines or ingredients without any cultural ties or cultural background. Examples of fusion: sushi and French cuisine, Thai and Japanese food, Israeli and Turkish, Korean and Chinese.
More often than not, these restaurants combine authentic cuisines with influences from independent cultures in their menus. The fused cuisines often contain elements of both cultures with little or no connection to their root culture or ethnicity.
Impacts of Fusion in Food Industry
One of the most common misconceptions in the food industry is that because it has been mixed, transformed, and “authenticated” by a chef, it is somehow more authentic. Yet this is not always the case, as fusion food can be either more or less authentic than its original source material, depending on the type of authenticity the fusion incorporates. Some cultural dishes lose their cultural heritage during their process of fusion, while others adopt it with pride.
Perhaps the most well-known mash-up is the Cronut (a cross between a donut and a croissant), which exploded across America, making it the hottest food trend of 2013. Other examples include the ramen burger, the donut burger, the bacon shake, the pizza cake, and the list goes on. This idea of authenticity is often used to draw customers into restaurants and bars by offering dishes with an exotic twist.
We have talked a lot about authenticity now move towards its types:
3 Types of Authenticity in Food
- Culturally-Authentic: This definition distinguishes between the original culture and the foreign culture (e.g. Italian versus Japanese)
- Ethnically-Authentic: This refers to foods that maintain the original culture’s ethnic heritage (e.g. Italian couscous versus Israeli hummus)
- Stylistically-Authentic: This is the most important form of authenticity, as it identifies how an ingredient or dish has changed or evolved through time (e.g. Japanese donuts versus Okinawan rice balls).
The concept of fusion is not always accurate when it comes to food, especially in terms of ethnic fusion cuisine because it lacks respect for both cultures involved.
Now see what happens when the unwanted fusion happens Fusion of burger, sandwich, & chocolate
Humans are unique in that they can regenerate, reconstruct, develop, and change. This is the essence of food fusions, which are the outcome of complex relationships between humans, technology, and nature. Humans are more integral in the food industry because the food industry has evolved to meet the needs of humans.
Anthropologists believe that humanity has evolved with our food, working together with the rest of the world to meet the needs of our own species. Since humanity, at some point in the past, recognized that they are reliant upon their food.
We are more of a science than science is to us. So what do you think makes a dish “authentic”? Or is that even an important thing?
At last, I want to say that
“Stop making this stupid food fusion
As we read the name of the dish, we get into confusion
But when the dish came, we get only disillusion”
