Chitalian Foods – A Fantastic Fusion of East Meets West

In different countries around the world, people differentiate themselves in many aspects such as culture or way of life and even in the ingredients as well as the way they cook food is influenced by the regions where they live in. And because of the varying preferences that people have in various locations, restaurants, for instance, see to it that the food in their menu adapt to how people in that particular area like their food. For example, the American fastfood chain Kentucky Fried Chicken has introduced Kung Pao Chicken Pasta in Asian countries, which is a fusion between the Italian spaghetti and the Chinese-originated spicy and sweet Chicken with nuts. Another example is McDonald’s that offers spicy chicken burgers as well as burger steak meals as part of its menu lineup, which are not offered in Western countries.

Because of the difference that food is served in a way that would suit the taste and preferences of different people in different regions, a new, way of cooking food has been introduced and this is what is called fusion cuisine, which has originated in Europe and has been around since the 1970’s, particularly in France. Usually, the two cuisines that are most often mixed together to form unique dishes are Asian and European where they combine European ingredients with Asian style of cooking. And due to the popularity of fusion cuisine, it has spread in other countries such as the United States.

For instance, two of the most popular cuisines that have been mixed together to form unusual yet tasty dishes are Chinese and Italian. And due to this union of two excellent cuisines, a new word has been coined to describe this unique way of cooking and this is what is called Chitalian cuisine.

Basically, in Chitalian cuisine, it mixes Asian-inspired ingredients with Italian pasta to introduce new noodle dishes. Here is an example of a Chitalian pasta recipe, which is the Schezuan spicy spaghetti that definitely gives a fresh, new twist to serving pasta.

Schezuan Spicy Spaghetti
*Makes four servings
Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts, poached, de-boned and cut into thin strips
400 Grams spaghetti noodles
2 Cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
2 Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
¼ Pound coriander leaves, chopped
2 Tsp chili paste
4 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 Tsp salt

Directions

1. Boil water with salt in a pot. Put spaghetti noodles in the pot and cook until the noodles are firm but not hard. Drain the water and set the noodles aside to cool off.

2. Heat olive or vegetable oil in a pan. And then, add garlic and onion and saute until the onion is clear.

3. Add chicken, tomato, coriander and chili paste into the pan and stir once in a while. Cook for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and put the contents on top of the noodles. Toss and mix the noodles with the mixture.

Now that you know that Chitalian cuisine offers a unique blend of ingredients and cooking methods that has resulted in new, sumptuous dishes, why don’t you try it and find out?