Fusion cuisine is as old as cuisine itself. The term generally refers to the innovations in many contemporary cuisines since the 1970s, but in fact, most of the food we eat is a fusion in one form or another. No national cuisine is entirely isolated or self-contained. Nevertheless, recipes for national dishes are cemented in heavy volumes of culinary literature. Many would therefore advocate that fusion is a profanity, synonymous with mindlessly mixing ingredients in the name of novelty rather than good taste. But growing numbers of Asian fusion and Mexican-Korean food fans prove that fusion doesn't always result in Frankenstein-esque dishes.
Who are the people behind these thrilling new transcultural combinations? There are two kinds of fusion enthusiasts: homesick globetrotters and innovative chefs. Two important questions come to mind: who should be doing the fusing? And, can any two cuisines be fused? Cook for Book provides the answer to both. Apart from giving step-by-step instructions for twelve gourmet fusion dishes, this cookbook/commemorative album shows the work that went into creating these Polish-Turkish dishes.
Cook for Book extract Why Poland and Turkey?
Polish food has so far not been mentioned in the mix-and-match economy of food but that is about to change. In South London there's already a Polish-Indian restaurant called Namila which has a solid fan base. Polish-Turkish dishes might have the same effect. Typical Polish dishes (such as pierogi, gołąbki, and bigos) are hearty and poor in spices. That's the opposite of spice-crazy Indian and Turkish food. When combined with spices commonly used by the Turks such as cinnamon or star anis, Polish food tastes exciting and fresh.
One of the best recipes in Cook for Book suggests coating veal tongue in ground tarhana (a batter made of cracked wheat, yoghurt, and vegetables fermented then dried). Another explains how to make Polish borscht with lamb shanks instead of its usual beef or pork broth and adds cinnamon, allspice and cloves into the mix. Due to the barely functioning communist food distribution system for a long time Polish cuisine was very limited. Traditional recipes are therefore frugal in their use of "exotic" ingredients.
National dishes tell stories about cultures even if it's one of a lack of access to foreign spices. They directly testify to the climate of a country. Polish cuisine makes abundant use of meat (and relatively little fish), root vegetables (related to the quality of the soil) and forest berries (forests cover 28% of Poland). Poles, like Turks, strive to bring their food to other countries. Using Italian and Japanese food as the benchmark, neither has had much success. But perhaps fusion is a way to better cater to the tastes of new audiences. The method Polish-Turkish food is one exciting, well-balanced and satisfying example.
That brings us to the all-important question: who should be carrying out the natural selection of foods? The enticing and full-flavoured Polish-Turkish dishes presented in Cook for Book are the result of weeks of hard work by a group of four experienced Polish and Turkish chefs: Didem Senol, Maksut Aşkar, Semi Hakim and Tomasz Trabski. "The thing about cooking is the experience," explains Didem, owner of three high-end restaurants in Istanbul , author of three cookbooks and Time Out Istanbul's Best Chef in 2010, "You have to work really hard because it's very physical." Before doing any mixing and matching, they flew between Poland and Turkey to study the basics: ingredients, cooking techniques and dishes. Cook for Book has a chapter dedicated to their learning process. There is a deep knowledge and art to selecting and combinig. Flavours and textures have to be balanced. Tastes have to be complemented and brought out by others. The twelve recipes are the crowning thesis of four modern fusion masters.
