Food fusions: gastronomic genius or betrayal?

Food fusions: gastronomic genius or betrayal? - Would you ever try a kebab pizza? What about a ramen burger?

There is a host of weird and wonderful fusion dishes out there. From Japanese burritos and salty Chinese doughnuts, to Brazilian stroganoff and Hawaiian Spam.

Click through the gallery and take a look at the variety of fusion food served up around the world.

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Pizza: Italy - Though the precise origins of pizza are disputed, this dish is definitely Italian-rooted and the traditional way to serve it is with simple tomato sauce, cheese, and basil: aka a margherita.

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Pizza: Japan - But pizza takes on many different forms and toppings around the world! Here is what pizza looks like in Japan. Did you know you can even get sushi flavors?

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Pizza: India - How about a curried pizza? If it's too spicy you could always add some raita on top. Sounds good?

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Empanadas: South America - Empanadas are filled pastries that come in various forms from all over South America. They can be fried or baked, and filled with sweet corn, meat, fish, cheese, etc.

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Pasties: England - Similar to empanadas, Cornish pasties are larger and usually filled with meat and vegetables.

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Naan: India - Almost every meal in India will arrive accompanied by some form of naan bread. Traditionally, it is torn into bits and used to scoop up the food on your plate.

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Naan: international - But how about wrapping your meal inside a whole naan and eating it like a sandwich? Genius!

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Sushi: Japan - The famous Japanese dish of rolled rice and raw fish has traveled around the world and taken on different forms along the way.

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Sushi: USA - A fusion of Mexican and Japanese cuisine in the United States resulted in the sushi burrito. It's basically giant sushi, in a roll.

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Tacos: Mexico - The Mexican taco has also taken on many different guises across myriad cultures. It is usually served with a filling of avocado, salsa, meat, cilantro, and tomatoes.

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Tacos: Japan - But how about trying a taco filled with Japanese ahi tuna, wasabi mayonnaise, masago, and purple cabbage for a change?

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Tacos: Italy - Would you ever dare to try a spaghetti taco? Yes, they exist.

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Churros: Spain - The famous fried dough snacks are typically sprinkled with sugar and dipped in a hot chocolate sauce before eating.

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Churros: Peru - Churros are also enjoyed in Peru, though they are usually filled with various different sauces and creams.

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Croissants: France - The famous French croissant takes on many different forms around the world, being served sweet with jams and honey, or savory with fillings of cheese, ham, etc.

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Medialunas: Argentina - The Argentinian version is a denser, more doughy pastry called a medialuna. It's glazed with honey and goes along perfectly with a drink of yerba mate!

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Yerba mate: South America - Yerba mate comes from a plant native to Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. Its leaves are dried, mixed with hot water, and drunk through a type of metal straw.

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Yerba mate: international - The rest of the world has caught onto the health benefits of South American mate. However, adding hot water to a tea bag is the preferred method of drinking it.

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Thali: India - India has an almost inexhaustive range of curries, which vary from region to region. One of the typical meals is thali, a round platter that includes dhal, different curries, rice, and naan bread.

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Indian food: UK - But when curry reached the UK and other parts of the world, it underwent considerable change. A typical Indian takeaway doesn't have the same range of small dishes. Instead, serving big portions of rice and curry is usually how it's offered up.
And British chicken tikka masala is not a real Indian dish, rather a false imitation!

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Doughnuts: USA - The beautiful fried masses of dough appear in many cultures, so they don't technically belong to one country or another. But let's take a look at how they vary anyway.

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Doughnuts: Finland - In Finland doughnuts are known as Munkki. They are more doughy that American their US counterparts and contain cardamom.

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Doughnuts: Morocco - The word for a Moroccan doughnut, sfenj, an Arabic name. These unsweetened treats are often dipped in honey or sugar.

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Doughnuts: UK, France, Portugal, Germany... - The round doughnuts filled with fruit jelly, custard, or chocolate are common across many countries in Europe.

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Doughnuts: Poland - Pączki are filled with jelly and dusted with powdered sugar or orange zest. Prior to cooking, grain alcohol is added to the dough.

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Doughnuts: Italy - Bomboloni are stuffed with cream or custard, and can be served topped with ricotta.

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Doughnuts: Nigeria - The name for these adorable little snacks is puff puff. They are also known as bofrot or togbei in other countries.

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Doughnuts: China - Youtiao is lightly salted fried dough which is dipped in rice pudding or soy milk and eaten for breakfast.

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Matcha: Japan - Traditional Japanese matcha tea is made from a special concentrated green tea powder, known as matcha.

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Matcha: international - However, as matcha has traveled across the world it's taken on some variations. Now you can even have matcha served latte style, for example.

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Crepes: France - France is famous for its delicious crepes! Sweet or savory. However, it's not the only country to have these...

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Pancakes: USA - The United States is know for its buttermilk pancakes, which are usually served in a stack and smothered with maple syrup, berries, and many other toppings.

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Cachapas: Venezuela and Colombia - In Venezuela and Colombia, it's corn pancakes, called cachapas, that are the favorite! These are usually folded and served filled with melted cheese.

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Spam: UK - The tinned meat product was eaten a lot in the UK during the Second World War due to rationing and the scarcity of food.

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Spam Musubi: Hawaii - Though Spam's popularity declined in the UK after the war, it skyrocketed in Hawaii. An infamous fusion of Spam and Japanese omusubi was born: Spam musubi. The combination of rice, Spam, and nori (Japanese seaweed) is still sold widely in the archipelago.

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Sfiha: Middle East - The pie snacks are traditionally made with mutton.

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Esfiha: Brazil - Brought to Brazil by immigrants from the Levant region, the pie-like dish was known by an alternative name, esfiha (or esfirra), and featured different ingredients, including lamb, beef, cheese, etc.

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Ramen: Japan - The Japanese dish contains wheat noodles in a fish or meat broth, served with various ingredients including sliced pork, salmon, seaweed, green onions, and egg. It is usually flavored with soy sauce or miso.

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Hamburger: USA - How about the same Japanese dish combined with an American classic, the hamburger, to create something truly spectacular...

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Ramen burgers: USA - Have you ever tried a ramen burger? This fusion treat is quite popular in America!

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Pasta: Italy - Poor Italy. Not only has its pizza been stolen and adapted beyond belief, but so has its pasta! Take a look at this example of a traditional Italian pasta dish: tagliatelle, tomato, and basil. Perfect and simple, right?

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Pasta: Germany - Now take a look at what can happen when pasta takes on a German twist. Would you mix frankfurters with spaghetti and Parmesan?

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Pasta: India - And what about curried pasta? Any good Italian would probably suffer culture shock just by thinking about it.

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Stroganoff: Russia - The original Russian Beef Stroganoff is made from a mixture of sauteed beef and sour cream.

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Stroganoff: Brazil - Brazilians usually prepare stroganoff with onion, tomatoes, mushrooms, and strips of filet mignon. They also serve it with rice!

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Stroganoff: USA - In the US and abroad, stroganoff is lighter in color and served with rice or pasta.

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Kebab: Middle East - There are many variants of kebabs around the world, but perhaps none so strange as the following Italian fusion...

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Kebab: Italy - Yes, it really exists: Kebab pizza anyone?

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Cappuccino: Italy - The favorite Italian coffee is prepared with a double espresso shot and milk foam. It should be served in a ceramic cup with a 150-160 ml capacity, according to The Guardian.

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Frappuccino: USA and international - It's no wonder that many people consider larger, sugary coffees with whipped cream an affront to the name of good coffee!

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Coffee: Ireland - An Irish coffee is a mixture of the hot beverage with whisky and sugar, topped with cream.

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Pasta carbonara: Italy - The true Italian carbonara should be made with egg, pancetta, and spaghetti. Imitations of the dish include variations with added cream, leeks, and other extra that most Italians would consider monstrous.

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Pasta carbonara: Japan -

Believe it or not this is a Japanese take on carbonara, which includes bacon, shrimps, and other vegetables. Gastronomic genius or gluttony? You decide!

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Food fusions: gastronomic genius or betrayal?

Some of these international takes on traditional dishes are truly bizarre!

28/03/20 | StarsInsider

FOOD Fusion food

We're all familiar with Tex-Mex food and the millions of versions of Italian pizza, but what other food fusion dishes are out there?

From Japanese burritos and salty Chinese doughnuts, to Brazilian stroganoff and Hawaiian Spam, check out the gallery of creative adaptations from national dishes around the world.