This Is What Anthony Bourdain Really Thought About Trendy Hybrid Foods

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This Is What Anthony Bourdain Really Thought About Trendy Hybrid Foods By Ben Hillin Oct. 26, 2025 4:00 pm EST

Fusion cuisine makes a splash with everyday eaters (does anyone else remember the sushi burrito craze?). The genre continues to grow year over year with an estimated 8% of U.S. restaurants offering some kind of fusion dish. Yet, despite fusion cuisine's popularity, a lot of professional chefs avoid those dishes like the plague , stating they often don't deliver on balance or depth. One of the more nuanced positions comes from Anthony Bourdain, who put particular emphasis on why a chef would create a fusion dish. Is the chef expressing something unique or chasing a trend for cash?

It's fun thinking about the outrageous things he ate , but it just goes