Camberwell Fusion

FUSION

Fusion cuisine blends two or more cooking traditions together to discover new flavour and texture combinations and push the boundaries of modern cooking.

Food fusion can bring together cuisines from different countries, regions or subregions, like South-East Asia, to create new culinary offerings.

Popular fusion cuisines include Tex-Mex, which brings together cuisines from Texas and Mexico, and pacific rim cuisine, which is influenced by cuisines from Hawaii, Japan, and eastern Asia.

Chefs and cooks also experiment by creating dishes belonging to one culture with the flavours and ingredients of a different culture.

Japanese celebrity chef and restauranteur Nobu Matsuhisa rose to fame for combining traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients in a style of cooking known as Nikkei.

His signature dish, black cod in miso, and Nikkei delicacies became sensations, helping him expand his restaurant business around the world.

Then there are food mash-ups like the cronut, a croissant-doughnut pastry invented in New York, and the turducken, which is a chicken inside a duck, inside a turkey. Food fusion has occurred organically for hundreds of years thanks to immigration, trade, and less peaceful developments.

Take pasta, for example. While pasta is a hallmark of Italian cuisine, many believe this tasty staple is a descendent of ancient Chinese noodles.

However, restaurants and chefs have been actively experimenting with fusion cuisine as we know it today since the 1970s.

Austrian-American chef and restauranteur Wolfgang Puck is one of the biggest names in fusion cuisine, testing the boundaries with combinations like buffalo chicken spring rolls and ‘designer pizzas’ made with smoked salmon, crème fraiche, and caviar.

In Australia and the US, fusion cuisine has had more of an impact due to their relatively short histories and lack of culinary traditions compared to the rest of the world.

The history of fusion cuisine

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European fusion

A new style of international cuisine was born out of France in the 1960s and ‘70s, known as nouvelle cuisine.

This game-changing cooking style emphasised lightness and freshness over the richness and heaviness of traditional French cuisine.

Nouvelle cuisine inspired new thinking and culinary innovation that supported the growth of fusion cuisine around the world.

In Europe, there are also fusion cuisines made up of culinary customs of neighbouring countries such as France and Belgium.

Some examples of French-Belgian cuisine are magret de canard aux cerises, which is a duck breast dish with cherry sauce, as well as carbonnade de boeuf à la flamande, a Flemish beef stew.

Asian fusion

Asian fusion cuisine combines the culinary traditions of various Asian countries, with Asian fusion restaurants growing in popularity around the world.

Take Filipino cuisine, which blends the different cuisines of Spain, China and the US with native ingredients and culinary customs.

In the Philippines, pancit palabok incorporates native smoked fish flakes, sauce made with annatto seeds from Mexico, and rice noodles and tofu from China. Malaysian cooking is another example of fusion cuisine, mixing Malay, Javanese, Chinese and Indian traditions, in addition to British, Thai, and Dutch culinary influences.

For example, Malaysian seafood laksa and Singapore fried noodles draw flavours and influences from numerous cuisines.

Australian fusion

Modern Australian cooking is a form of fusion cuisine, drawing on the variety of cooking styles that have immigrated to the country over the years.

While much of Australian cooking was steeped in the country’s colonial past, waves of immigration from the Mediterranean and Asian regions introduced new cuisines after the Second World War.

Known as contemporary Australian cuisine or mod oz, this style of cooking often creates different cuisines with local produce.

Examples include roast barramundi with green curry, Chinese broccoli and snake beans, as well as smashed avocado on toast with edamame, dukkah, and chilli.

FIND A WORLD OF FOOD IN CAMBERWELL

Take your tastebuds on a journey and celebrate the freshest ingredients in Camberwell, where a world of flavour awaits food lovers.

If you’re looking for a wide selection of fresh produce and speciality ingredients to feed the family or challenge yourself in the kitchen, you’ll find a world of food in Camberwell.

Kitchens are the playground of amateur cooks and professional chefs alike, but every cook knows that good quality ingredients are essential.

Camberwell Fresh Food Market

The Camberwell shopping precinct has everything you need, with farm-fresh fruit and vegetables, meticulously prepared meats, deli treats, artisan breads, baked goods, and more.

In Camberwell, our local fresh food grocers are proud to serve crisp and nutritious fruit and vegetables, with a focus on seasonality and supporting local producers.

High quality fruit and vegetables can really elevate a dish, while keeping you and the family fit and healthy.

Camberwell is home to a range of local butchers, each offering premium meats, poultry, seafood, sausages, and other readymade items to feed the family.

Whether you’re roasting a joint or slow cooking a casserole, our local butchers are happy to share cooking tips and source speciality meats no matter the occasion.

Local delicatessens are known for their gourmet cured meats, fine cheeses, tangy pickles, delicious preserved foods, and more, so you can enjoy tastes from around the world at home.

Few things are better than the aroma and taste of a freshly baked loaf, which you can find at Camberwell’s array of bakeries.

Our dedicated bakers rise early to create crusty breads, rolls, pastries, and other baked goods for you to enjoy every day. You can also find many speciality foods throughout the Camberwell shopping precinct such as freshly-ground coffee to make a fine cup at home, or an exotic blend of tea for the perfect brew.

If you’re passionate about organic products and reducing packaging, bulk foods including health foods, paleo products, honey, and oils are available in Camberwell.

For something sweet, there is a great range of dried fruits and nuts to take home, as well as premium, locally made chocolates and confectionery.

Whether you need ingredients for a simple dinner or an extravagant spread, you’ll find a world of food in Camberwell.

Learn more at CAMBERWELLSHOPPING.COM.AU

Camberwell Shopping • Burke Road & The Junction

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