Frankenfoods

Fusion fast foods are taking over

Tonight, at the second birthday of Peter Gordon’s Sugar Club restaurant, guests will eat lamb rillette with prunes, creamed paua with brioche toast and seared tuna with a coconut crust.

It’s fine dining at its finest, from the Kiwi chef known internationally as the ‘‘father of fusion cuisine’’.

But the most popular menu posting on Gordon’s Instagram account?

‘‘I was in the Koru Lounge some months back and I stuffed a baby sausage, dipped first into tomato sauce, into a baby croissant – and I have to say it was fabulous. It wasn’t classy, but it worked.’’

Fusion food has officially gone lowbrow.

For the past fortnight, KFC has been mixing its secret herbs and spices into a fried chicken rice box laden with teriyaki sauce. Pizza Hut is offering a cheeseburger stuffed crust, and at Carl’s Jr you can get a hamburger that contains a hotdog and potato chips.

The phenomena is not confined to savoury treats. A very limited edition bundle of pavlova jelly tip ice creams, featuring kiwifruit and white chocolate, has raised $500-and-counting on a Trade Me auction for Cure Kids that closes on Monday.

And in Australia last month, Vegemite chocolate hit the streets. We hit Auckland streets with a oneoff delivery of the 200g block. Random verdict: ‘‘ Caramello with a kick of car oil’’.

What’s driving these menu mashups? Is it marketing hype or have consumer taste- buds definitively jumped the ciabatta- crumbed shark?

‘‘You’ll know when something is good or bad,’’ said Gordon. ‘‘And everyone has an opinion which they like to share. In culinary terms, the most popular fusion would be Asian French, partly due to the French colonies in Southeast Asia. In technique terms, the cronut [a croissant crossed with a doughnut] would be the most popular – although I have seen plenty of pizzas made using a pita bread base, so I suppose that could count as well. ‘‘Fusion isn’t simply a mash-up of concepts. It’s a wellthought-out approach. Who’s to say a new idea won’t be marvellous? And who’s to say it will be?’’

Dr Miranda Mirosa, consumer food scientist at Otago University, said fusion food is ‘‘a way of humouring our palate’’ and its popularity is partly driven by digital over-sharers.

‘‘It’s a way to try something new, but it’s quite a safe way to try something new.

‘‘The mash-ups, or hybrid foods, or whatever you want to call them, are often combining two things that we’re familiar with – there’s a safety net.’’

Skiting is part of the experience, she says, and the limited-time-only aspect adds to the appeal.

‘‘ It’s about doing it once, and then you move on – who really wants to eat Vegemite chocolate on a regular basis?’’

Customers agree. A group of Auckland University students who assembled for a taste test of the latest fast food fusion offerings from Restaurant Brands chains said this was not fodder they’d routinely eat.

‘‘I don’t think they’re into repeat customers,’’ said Sam Perry, 19, as he tackled the ‘‘ cheeseburger’’ pizza crust that – according to the panel – could have been improved with the addition of gherkins and mustard.