Chaos Cooking is about combining different ingredients, dishes and preparation methods from different countries to create (sometimes) unusual food creations. At first, however, these new creations don’t seem to fit together at all. Moreover, this experimentation produces extraordinary and new tastes.
Chaos Cooking is, in a sense, an extension of fusion cooking. What makes Chaos Cooking special is that it mixes not only ingredients from different regions, but also flavors and genres that are not normally consumed together. Which newly created dishes achieve a breakthrough also increasingly depends on social media and how successfully a dish is hyped there. Like so many things, chaos cooking also originated in the USA. However, the beginnings of Chaos Cooking go back many decades, to the 1980s and 90s. This is where fusion cuisine was born in California. There it was also called California Cuisine.
What is „Chaos Cooking“? Explanation, meaning, definition
In order to explain Chaos Cooking, we must first take a closer look at the concept of fusion cuisine. This new food trend developed back in the 1980s. Fusion cuisine mainly focuses on the union of different tastes from different countries. Last but not least, this cuisine direction became known in Europe through Detlef Bernhardt or Wolfgang Puck. Puck was an Austrian celebrity chef who lived in the USA. It was he who launched food trends at the time, such as a „Chinese chicken salad“ or a „pizza with smoked salmon,“ causing a culinary earthquake. Followers of classic cuisine, however, were outraged by such creations. Today, such associations seem almost unimaginative. In the sushi assortment, for example, a „California Roll“ has become quite normal and it is hard to imagine life without it. Many people know sushi only in this creation.
The best-known example of chaos cooking or fusion cuisine is curry sausage. Here, German sausage is topped with American ketchup and Indian curry. In the beginning, people held back a bit with the exotic ingredients; today, they can’t be unusual enough.
When experimenting with Chaos Cooking, there are no limits to your imagination. A whimsical combination would be the union of German red cabbage and oriental chickpea balls or ravioli stuffed with an American burger filling. Another unusual dish would be spaghetti with tandoori sauce. For this, onions, garlic and ginger are first sautéed and then pimped with finely chopped tomatoes and typical Indian spices (for example garam masala). If desired, the sauce can then be refined with syrup or lemon juice and then mixed with the noodles.
Unusual combinations in Chaos Cooking
In a sushi burrito, the Mexican burrito is combined with Japanese sushi. Instead of sushi rice, minced meat and beans are used, as well as Asian vegetables and marinated fish. Of course, the tortilla is replaced by nori sheets and the ingredients are rolled into it. By the way, this snack is great for school or the office.
The ramen burger is where Asia meets America. According to all assumptions, the origin lies in New York. For this, the burger buns are replaced by crispy fried noodle nests. Usually, these are Japanese wheat noodles and are called „ramen“ in their own country. They are first cooked in salted water and then whisked with salt and pepper and egg. They are then fried in a little oil in the form of noodle nests on both sides until crispy. The ramen burger buns are topped with various fresh ingredients and finally finished with a drizzle of teriyaki sauce.
Chaos Cooking and social media
Restaurants that primarily engage in Chaos Cooking are literally looking to wreak havoc on conventional taste expectations. In social media, however, the concept of Chaos Cooking is much broader. Although it is also about unusual combinations, most people here just cook away, without a recipe, without weighing and purely intuitively.
Social media users thus take the pressure off themselves from the outset to prepare a lasagna, for example, that has to stand up to the well-known classic in terms of both appearance and taste. With this newfound freedom and fun in chaos, new taste experiences can be created.
In summary, Chaos Cooking is about experimenting without shyness or rules. The most diverse kitchen cultures find harmony and are united with each other. Above all, however, it is about the fact that it must ultimately taste good.