To satisfy today’s American palate, consumers seek innovative sensory stimulation almost as much as basic nourishment. And, the multi-ethnic, global sophisticates they’ve become encourage processors to meet these desires through bridging herbs, spices, extracts, and esoteric fruits and vegetables into hot-trending cuisine fusions. Expert research chefs react to this consumer requirement by reinventing safe stand-bys with the introduction of non-traditional flavor components to produce an approachable, yet fresh, dining experience. In other words, they coax consumers to the table with something within their frame of reference—but produce it in a way that captivates their imagination—bridging the gap between the familiar and the unfamiliar.

Examination of the culinary traditions from any culture provides proof the architects used not only raw ingredient availability and utilitarian pragmatism as their building blocks, but also a deeply imbedded desire to please the palate. In each scenario, it is inevitable that basic laws are followed and applied with what is readily to hand. This is evidenced by the fact that there are many variations on any given theme.

An example of this is the simple hamburger, which has worn more accessories over the years than Madonna, Cher and Lady Gaga combined. It’s been crowned with foie gras and truffles; bedecked with chipotle-spiced fried onion shards; adorned with a basted egg; enrobed in porcini aioli; and even stuffed full of barbecued pork, all with the idea of elevating an already beloved experience.

There are some universals to cultural cuisines. Tomato and garlic is considered Italian; tomato and fines herbes is Provençal French. Tomato and roasted chili peppers is Mexican; tomato with saffron is Spanish; and tomato and cinnamon is Greek. Pad Thai is devoured by epicures and novice diners alike, because of how its flavor components are used to contrast and complement, fused and overlapped, creating harmonic balance. If the tart tamarind wasn’t offset with the subtle sweetness of palm sugar, faces would contort. If the fiery Thai chili peppers weren’t applied with discretion, eyes would widen. If umami-producing fermented soy sauce, nam pla (fermented fish sauce) and roasted peanuts were added too sparingly, it would miss.

Making Fusions Work

A trained research chef is able to intuitively place ingredients into one of the main pillars of flavor: predominantly sweet, salty, sour, hot and bitter. They recognize that sour “likes” sweet in equal proportion; salt complements pepper; and astringent or acid needs sweet or earthy flavors to balance it, hence the use of ginger with cilantro, or tomatoes with garlic.

Following that, it is important to identify ingredients that serve as a connector, or “bridge” flavor, which is key to successfully merging seemingly unlikely flavor combinations. Think of how vanilla does this with ginger and cocoa. In this manner, it is possible to understand some basic rules of combining flavors—without actually having thousands of flavor combinations memorized.

Mathew Freistadt, research chef, notes that sometimes, the fusion inspiration strikes simply because the combination has never been tried. For a Malbec wine and mango-flavored sausage, he employed Malbec red wine in a spray-dried form “for solids, tannins and color.” He then added some tannic acid, smoke notes and a few spices to round out the flavor. Freistadt chose to split the mango between a concentrate and a dry flavor.

“When combined, they gave the correct amount of sweetness and profile, without ‘over-caramelizing’ during the cook cycle,” he explains.

Freistadt points to the need to let inspiration and didactic knowledge harmonize. “The idea is to use your skills as a chef and scientist; seek out the main ingredients that make flavor; and don’t over complicate the formulation. Keep in mind the finished form you hope to achieve, and be aware of the functional limits that you can push.” He recommends starting with small batches of flavorants, then scaling up to a 1kg batch and adjusting accordingly.

Today’s formulator has a countless array of ingredient options to consider, more than they did 30—or even five—years ago. If a tart note is desired, the formulator and ingredient provider can work together to fine-tune the degree of tartness and concept the taste profile to put together the overall experience, prior to choosing the actual flavors. For example, seeking tartness can lead to a fusion of lemony sumac or earthy-sweet amchur (a spice made from green mangos), or tangy and floral hibiscus or slightly bitter loomi (dried black Persian limes).

Even salt is not a simple matter, with the availability of smoked salts, sel gris, Himalayan pink or black volcanic salts, etc., providing subtle mineral properties not available from standard table salt. Saltiness can also come from soy, and even then one can approach a mushroom soy, fermented soy or other variation. Or, try a smooth-textured and deeply satisfying red miso powder accented with some granulated nori (seaweed) flakes.

The next wave of fusion flavors will involve adding unique flavor components that build on timeless combinations so ingrained that they seem to have always existed together, yet with the addition of an unlikely facet. On-trend flavors can thus be rerouted through dissolved paradigms reconstructed to appear vaguely familiar, while being entirely new.

Trending Combos

Healthier choices have spinach and other leafy greens at a peak of popularity. They typically balance their “green” flavor best with earthy cheese and sublime-yet-distinct herbs, such as fennel pollen: The clean, strong, vegetal flavor of spinach yields a cooked spinach with increased acid levels, so pairing it with cheese will offer a balanced flavor, one rounded with the sweet, anise-like “nose” of fennel.

Balancing spicy roots, such as horseradish with apple, is not new, but bridging them with an aromatic like vanilla is. The result? Sweetness, pungency and aroma dominate this dynamic flavor combination. The heat of the horseradish livens up the crisp-tartness of the apple, and the vanilla adds an unexpectedly pleasing, savory background flavor, fusing the two strong flavors. Or, go with green curry, vanilla and cucumber: The intricate, full flavor of green curry becomes more complex and sophisticated by adding vanilla. Though vanilla is typically used for sweet applications, it adds a rich and pleasing aroma to the curry. The cool cucumber provides a mellowing component that can be introduced raw or sautéed.

Vanilla also brings out the naturally caramel-like tones of parsnip. Adding the floral herb lavender—currently enjoying its biggest renaissance since the Renaissance—yields a fusion that is at once savory, floral and fragrant. The natural sweetness in parsnips makes them ideal for a dessert application, too.

Fruits have been riding a crest of popularity, due to their impressive health profile. This has led to cross-cultural mixes of Mediterranean, Central American and tropical combos, such as fig, cantaloupe and passionfruit. Creating a fruit trio offers a true complexity of flavors. In this case, the succulent, luscious fig complements the refreshing, sweet cantaloupe—while the tart passionfruit brings an accent of flavor to elevate the entire combination.

And, since bacon is still trending up, even simple bacon and eggs enters another flavor zone with the addition of a tropical fruit, such as mango: Bacon and eggs is about salt, fat, warmth and richness. The sweet mango naturally counters the saltiness and the smoke of the bacon, creating a more intense flavor mosh-up.

Another fruit often shunted to a corner is the humble peppercorn. Botanically, pepper is a berry, but it is so often mishandled as to lose its sweet undertones. As with all spices, peppercorns get their flavor from their volatile oils and so are best when ground fresh—in fact, the fresher it is, the more sweet will appear with the heat, ultimately leading to greater depth of flavor. Combining black pepper with coriander and cardamom also brings out its fruity notes for an intriguing spice blend in an exotic combination of flavors. This combination also includes the punch of heat produced by the freshly ground peppercorns accented with the nutty, citrusy coriander and highly aromatic, floral cardamom.

Adding these spices to the usual sauces, soups and seasonings for meat and vegetables is still a worthy endeavor. But, folding such aromatic spices into sweet, buttery flour will produce a savory shortbread, which can support cheeses, or be rebalanced to sweet with frozen yogurt or fresh figs and other fruits.

Chocolate and nuts are a traditional pairing with a natural affinity, but adding the flavor of spicy ginger packs an unexpected boost. Chocolate softens the “zing” of ginger, and the nuts impart a pleasing crunch to balance the soft creaminess. Using a less common nut, such as the luscious Brazil nut, deepens the entire fusion.

Pairing sweet with heat is an old Southern/Southwestern tradition. Caramel, corn and Marash chili pepper exemplifies what happens when the burnt-sugar intensity of caramel  and subtle sweetness of corn meets the slightly spicy, fruitiness of the Marash pepper, enlivening the combination and taking it to new heights. Chili peppers also benefit from the traditionally Mediterranean flavor of rosemary, the intensely pleasing pine flavor of the herb adding a bold backbone to which the pepper stands up well. For other interesting flavor fusions, see sidebar, “Building a Better Fusion.” 

Aram Karapetian followed a decade of culinary experience as a restaurant chef with a 10-year career as director of catering and convention services with Hyatt Corp, and director of catering and convention services / food and beverage with The Ritz Carlton hotels. Chef Karapetian currently is director of sales for Woodland Foods/Dallesandro Gourmet and Specialty Foods. Jeffrey Troiola is corporate chef and leader of Research & Development for Woodland Foods/Dallesandro Gourmet and Specialty Foods.