The term ‘fusion’ is one which has a tendency to immediately put food lovers on edge, often dismissed as an excuse to mess around with tried-and-tested dishes and flavour combinations for the sake of getting people talking. Yet, when done thoughtfully and with a purpose, culinary fusion can lead to some of the most exciting food in existence. A fusion cuisine you may not be aware of, and one which might not initially seem intuitive, is the combination of Italian and Japanese cookery, or itameshi, as it’s known. Understand the story behind itameshi and how it came to be, however, and you’ll begin to see how and why these two rather distinct cuisines can actually complement each other beautifully.

The origins of itameshi, which literally translates as ‘Italian food’ in Japanese, can be traced back over a hundred years to the early twentieth century, when Western cuisine started making inroads into Japan. Although Japan’s first Italian restaurant opened in 1881 in Niigata, it wasn’t for another forty years that there began to be a broader awareness of the cuisine and this was largely thanks to the arrival of Italy’s most famous pasta. Spaghetti was first introduced to the Japanese market in the 1920s and formed part of the larger food movement known as Yōshoku, which saw Western dishes integrated into Japanese food culture, often with a unique twist. 

Cafés soon began serving simple takes on Italian dishes, such as Spaghetti Napolitan – a dish made with ketchup, ham, and green peppers, adapted to appeal to local palates – and as the twentieth century progressed, Italy's culinary influence in Japan grew. The rise of Italian restaurants coincided with the country's rapid economic growth, and by the eighties, Italian cuisine had become a symbol of sophistication, usurping French food as the country’s preferred Western cuisine, its accessibility and emphasis on fresh ingredients proving a hit amongst both Japanese chefs and customers. The term itameshi was coined during this period and the cuisine only continued to grow in popularity during Japan’s economic crash in the 1990s, with Italian ingredients in many cases providing a cheaper alternative to traditional Japanese ones.

While the flavour profiles of Italian and Japanese food are typically very different, the cuisines share similar principles, which is what makes itameshi work so well as a type of fusion. Both palates are obsessive over quality of ingredients and exacting techniques, they champion regional variety and share a broad appeal. Tarako spaghetti – a creamy pasta dish made with salted cod roe – is one of the most well-known examples of itameshi cookery and is a great showcase of how the contrasting flavours of Italian and Japanese cooking can be married together to create something balanced and coherent. Matcha tiramisu meanwhile, is a more recent and playful example of how the cuisine can be extended beyond pasta dishes.