From New York to Nairobi: Afro Fusion Food is on the Verge of Taking Over the Globe 🌍
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Keep scrolling to find bitesize content about:
🔥 What is Afro Fusion food?
🔎 How to search online for Afro Fusion
📍 Afro Fusion in a city near you
📚 Afro Fusion for the home; cookbooks & CPG products
⭐ Our volunteer highlight
What is Afro Fusion food?
Origins of Afro Fusion
Afro Fusion is the combination of African flavors and global ingredients. It has been simmering for years, but it's finally starting to bubble up and gain mainstream attention.
Afro Fusion celebrates Africa's diverse cuisines, and was born from migration and marriage of different cultures. Thanks to the diaspora, it's also a way to make African heritage dishes with differing accessibility to ingredients.
Internationally spicin' it up
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy garnered backlash after claiming to pioneer the music genre Afro Fusion, but the term has been stewing in the food space for quite some time now.
From Afro Fusion restaurants in London and Paris being the first of African cuisine to get a Michelin star, to the James Beard-winning chef's restaurant that is one of the toughest reservations in NYC right now, Afro Fusion food is about to explode onto the culinary scene!
Searching for Afro Fusion
Afro Fusion is a broad culinary movement that encompasses a variety of cuisines from across Africa.
When searching for Afro Fusion restaurants, you may not find a wide selection of options, because many chefs and restaurants are still developing their own identities and rhetoric around the food they create.
Some chefs may prefer to describe their cuisine more specifically – such as 'contemporary Senegalese' or 'modern African' – and the evolution of Afro Fusion should bring more of this terminology into the mainstream.
Afro Fusion is everywhere
Two Hommés, Los Angeles: This Afro-centric Eatery showcases LA's brightest dishes and Africa's richest flavors, featuring Senegalese egg rolls and jollof rice platters.
Dakar Nola, New Orleans: A pescatarian tasting menu that spotlights the deep cultural connections between Senegambia and New Orleans through food.
Tatiana, New York: From local Italian bakeries to Caribbean roti shops, Tatiana is a love letter from owner Kwame Onwuachi's Afro-Caribbean-by-way-of-the-Bronx heritage.
Akoko, London: Blending seasonal British ingredients with West African spices, Akoko pushes the boundaries of culinary creativity with its live-fire cooking and fine dining.
Mosuke, Paris: Get a reservation and then book your flights; this is a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant where African cuisine rubs shoulders with Japan, in a French aesthetic.
Mama Rocks Burgers, Nairobi: Marry the American-style burger with African flavors, and you'll get this incredible burger joint with a mission to put African fusion food on the map.
Afro Fusion at home
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Afro Vegan by Zoe AlakijaDelve into almost 50 recipes of vibrant plant-based dishes that fuse African and European flavors, by British-Nigerian cook and fashion entrepreneur Zoe Alakija | Africana by Lerato Umah-ShaylorBalance traditional African dishes with the varied flavors from across the globe, by Nigerian-born, UK-based writer and entrepreneur Lerato Umah-Shaylor | My America by Kwame Onwuachi & Joshua David SteinThe owner of Tatiana, Kwame Onwuachi, celebrates the food from his family; spanning Nigeria to the Caribbean, the South to the Bronx, and beyond |
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Essie SpiceCreated in Essie Bartels' family Ghana kitchen, Essie Spice combines the flavors of West Africa with her travels to create sauces and spices with a twist | AdùnOwner of Adùn, Khalieb Rufael, blends Southern comforts with African flavors to create ready-to-eat meals that take meal deliveries to a whole new level | Gloria's ShitoGloria Allorbi has made the gateway to Ghana in a jar! This umami-rich hot chili oil is coming for your dumplings, grilled fish, and even your morning breakfast |
Volunteer Highlight
Vicki Cheng, graphic designer
Vicki is a graphic designer with over two decades of experience, and has worked with the likes of UCLA and Disney.
We were blown away by the designs she made for our most recent food creator event, the Picture Day social mixer, and can't wait to see what's next!
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