You may have heard of fusion cuisine: a combination of different cuisines and cultures to create an entirely new cuisine. But what exactly started fusion cuisine?
The History of Fusion Cuisine
Fusion cooking started with Tex-Mex cuisine in the late 1800s. Texas had just become independent from Mexico, and Tejanos still had traces of their cuisine. In the mid-1870s, “chili queens” popularized Tex-Mex cuisine by serving various dishes throughout plazas in San Antonio. The name, “Tex-Mex” later came from the New York Times in 1963 which used the phrase to describe a Mexican restaurant in Texas.
In the 1960s, fusion foods were gaining popularity with Tex-Mex and Asian fusion. But modern fusion food was not established until the 1980s by chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Roy Yamaguchi.
Today, there are various different fusion recipes combining cultures to create tasteful dishes. From Indian-Italian to American-Chinese, the options in fusion are endless.
References
- https://pregelamerica.com/pmag/articles/the-fusion-revolution-the-evolution-of-fusion-cuisine/
- https://www.royyamaguchi.com/
- https://draperandkramer.com/news-and-insights/the-delicious-origins-of-tex-mex-cuisine-in-san-antonio/
- https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/features/indian-italian-francesco-apreda