Toronto’s culinary landscape is one of the most diverse and eclectic in North America and around the world. With a broad spectrum of cultures throughout the city’s neighbourhoods, this diversity can also be seen in its culinary industry. Whether you’re in the east end or in North York, there is something to experience for every pallet.
When it comes to innovation, Toronto is becoming widely known for embracing the art of culinary fusions. A culinary fusion involves combining two distinct cultures and their cuisines to create a unique marriage of flavours. It’s often favoured by food lovers who enjoy stepping outside their comfort zones. Across Toronto, food lovers can experience culinary fusions in a new and exciting way.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the city’s culinary fusions.
Japanese-Mexican
When we think of fusing two different cuisines together, experienced chefs know that it’s all about innovation and trying new things. When it comes to creating exciting new dishes, you’ll rarely find a fusion as dynamic as Japanese and Mexican cuisines.
In Toronto, you’ll find this type of fusion that combines these two distinct cultures — creating a harmonious blend of flavours that you won’t often find in other cities. Japanese food is known for using seasonal ingredients to create often seafood-based dishes, both raw and cooked.
Mexican cuisine, while also embracing seafood, uses an often spicier blend of flavours and incorporates more grains and meats in its culinary dishes. The beauty of these differences is what makes fusion restaurants unique and dynamic.
The process of combining these different cultures and their cuisines is one of the stand-out culinary experiments you’ll often only find in large, diverse cities like Toronto.
Italian-Portuguese
Italy and Portugal share many similarities within their respective cultures. Both are known for prioritizing food and family, and their architecture often mirrors one another. While they share these similarities, their food is unique in itself — which sets the stage for innovative Italian-Portuguese fusion.
Within this type of fusion, you might find a Caprese salad with corn and a port reduction instead of traditional Italian balsamic — or grilled calamari with Portuguese spices.
Learning more about the dynamics of each culinary culture is important to fully embracing the dishes you’ll find in Toronto’s fusion restaurants. With SkipTheDishes’ culinary encyclopedia, you can dive deeper into the world of culinary fusions and learn about the unique flavours found in both Italian and Portuguese cuisines.
French-Korean
Toronto’s chefs know that sometimes the best recipes come from the most unexpected pairings — which is often the case with the city’s French and Korean fusion restaurants. French cuisine by itself often uses simple, rich ingredients and focuses primarily on delicate techniques. In contrast, Korean food is known for bolder flavours and hearty starches.
By combining these unique cuisines, food lovers can experience a brand-new marriage of flavours and dishes they likely would never have been able to try otherwise.