American food is undergoing a revolution.  The United States, which has long been characterized as a “melting pot” is now experiencing a smorsgabord of cuisines based on the tastes of the many different ethnic groups living in our land.

According to Jacqueline Marcus, RD, “as a result of the increased diversity of the American population, American chefs and home cooks are experimenting with a variety of ingredients, techniques, and presentations from widely diverse cultures and traditions to create new dishes and taste sensations.”

So what exactly is fusion cuisine?  It has nothing to do with chemistry or physics and does not involve specially designed cooking utensils.  Fusion is defined as “fusing or melting; a unification, blending or coalition.”  Fusion cuisine is, therefore, a style that takes the best elements of various ethnic cuisines to create new dishes.  In it’s most conservative form, that might mean introducing an unusual ingredient to a traditional dish or cooking a meal that you have made a thousand times but adding a spice or sauce from another culture. Consider an American- style meat loaf basted with Caribbean jerk barbecue sauce, pasta with Asian peanut sauce, or a French chocolate mousse with tropical fruit salsa.  More adventurous forms of fusion might include multiple techniques and ingredients from a variety of cultures.

Most of all fusion cuisine is a sense of culinary adventure, a departure from classic recipes, a breakdown of cultural barriers, and the discovery of exciting new taste combinations.

It is said that baby-boomers, 78 million strong, are the most culinary-literate and food- active generation in history.  They are more familiar with the world around them, less constrained by habits and traditions, and more likely to be interested in embracing fusion cuisine.

One simple food that is an example of fusion cuisine would be the bagel.  In the 1890’s only Jews from Eastern Europe ate bagels.  The bagel became an icon of the northeastern United States in 1927 after the Lender’s bakery in New Haven, Connecticut opened its family-run business.  Kraft bought Lender’s in 1984 as a companion for its Philadelphia brand cream cheese and the rest is culinary history.  Today’s bagels are larger, softer, sweeter, and more flavorful than their prototype, with mixed ethnic ingredients such as chili peppers and sun-dried tomatoes.  And 75% of U.S. households eat them.  In culinary terms, the bagel has blended.

Because of the tremendous number of media messages about ethnic cuisines, people traveling to all parts of the world, and the availability of the Internet, we are exposed to a wider variety of foods than ever before.  One look at any supermarket shows aisles filled with ethnic foods, seasonings, and exotic fruits and vegetables in addition to salad bars with multiethnic ingredients, sushi counters, and pizza ovens.  You may be experiencing fusion cuisine without even recognizing it—take for example a fairly typical American food day: a bagel (Jewish) with jalapeno cream cheese (Mexican) and a café au lait (French) for breakfast; a Greek salad with foccacia bread (Italian) for lunch; and stir-fry over Basmati rice (Asian) for dinner, topped off with good old apple pie (American).

A diverse selection of foods as listed above is physically and mentally healthy as well as emotionally satisfying.  Eating a variety of is the optimal food strategy for long-term health.  A variety of foods also prevents boredom and provides new flavor experiences.  So take a chance, expand your horizons, and give fusion cuisine a try.

Think of a traditional dish that you like, one that is typical of a region or culture (pizza; Italy).  Replace the "usual" ingredients (crust, tomato sauce with basil and oregano, white mushrooms, sausage, mozzarella) with ones from other regions/cultures (tortilla, salsa, chicken, shitake mushrooms, Swiss and cheddar cheese).

Here's another idea for Bruschetta Three Ways:

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer typically made with lightly toasted slices of bread rubbed with raw garlic, then dribbled with olive oil.  It easily fuses with other cuisines.

Ingredients:

Crusty Italian bread sliced one-half inch thick

Raw garlic cloves

Olive oil

Directions:

Toast bread until golden.  Rub one side with garlic.  Paint with olive oil. 

Italian

Top prepared bread with fresh basil, red onion and plum tomato slices and fresh mozzarella cheese.  Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar if desired.

Greek

Top prepared bread with arugula or escarole, white onion and vine-ripe tomato slices, and feta cheese.  Add a few drops of wine vinegar if desired. 

Californian

Top prepared bread with fresh spinach, purple onion and cherry tomato slices, and goat cheese.  Add a few drops of Champaign vinegar if desired.

Some information for this article is from "The United Tastes of the United States" by Jacqueline Marcus in Today's Dietitian.