OUR GLOBAL CUISINE RESEARCH for 2027

Asian fusion is moving beyond simply combining two cuisines.

For 2027, Technomic specifically identifies Asian-inspired Italian pasta as an emerging direction.

Examples worth investigating include:

Fusion concept	Product
Korean–Mexican	Bulgogi beef tacos
Korean–Italian	Gochujang cream pasta
Japanese–Italian	Miso mushroom pasta
Korean–American	Korean BBQ smash burgers
Thai–Italian	Thai basil chilli pasta
Japanese–American	Teriyaki chicken burgers
Chinese–American	Sichuan pepper chicken wings

This is particularly interesting because restaurants can introduce new flavours without completely changing their existing equipment or menu structure.

A burger restaurant can introduce Korean BBQ burgers.

A pizza restaurant can introduce hot honey toppings.

A pasta restaurant can introduce miso or gochujang sauces.

The innovation is often in the sauce, marinade or seasoning rather than the main ingredient.

EMERGING INTERNATIONAL CUISINES

Beyond Korean and Japanese food, I would monitor several cuisines that are attracting attention in international trend reports.

Cuisine	Dishes or flavours to investigate	Why it matters
Filipino	Chicken adobo, sisig, calamansi	Distinctive savoury and acidic flavours
Indonesian	Beef rendang, satay, sambal	Strong potential for sauces and marinades
West African	Jollof rice, suya, egusi	Expanding interest in regional African cuisine
Mexican street food	Birria tacos, elote, salsa macha	Highly adaptable casual-dining formats
Sichuan Chinese	Mala sauces, chilli crisp	Demand for chilli heat and complex flavours
Korean	Bulgogi, gochujang, fried chicken	Strong evidence of mainstream expansion

Filipino, Indonesian and West African cuisines are among those identified as emerging opportunities in 2027 food trend commentary.

These cuisines are at different stages of adoption. I would not describe them all as equally popular across the United States, Australia and Europe.

Our first investigation reveals something particularly interesting: Korean cuisine is evolving from a restaurant speciality into a major influence on everyday global food culture.

3. Why Korean cuisine is becoming a global phenomenon

International foodservice research company Technomic identifies Korean culinary influence as one of the defining global restaurant trends for 2027.

There is also convincing evidence that this is more than a passing fashion.

A 2025 survey involving 11,000 consumers across 22 international cities found:

Indicator	Result
Consumers familiar with Korean cuisine	68.6%
Satisfaction among consumers who had tried Korean cuisine	94.2%
Willingness to eat Korean food again	80.6%
Respondents who had visited a Korean restaurant in the previous year	71.7%

More importantly, research published in October 2026 indicates that Korean food is increasingly becoming a regular meal choice rather than something consumers try once out of curiosity.

What makes Korean BBQ different from many Western barbecue traditions is its emphasis on thin cuts, marinades, accompanying vegetables and interactive dining. Korean fried chicken has become a major international success.

Unlike conventional fried chicken, Korean versions frequently emphasise an exceptionally crisp coating combined with distinctive sauces.

Popular variations include sweet-spicy yangnyeom, soy-garlic and gochujang-glazed chicken.

Gochujang — An ingredient to watch closely

Of all the ingredients associated with Korean cuisine, gochujang may have one of the greatest opportunities for international expansion.

Gochujang is a fermented Korean chilli paste traditionally made using red chilli powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder and salt.

It delivers a combination of sweetness, heat, saltiness and umami.

According to September 2026 reporting, Korean gochujang exports reached approximately US$46 million during the first eight months of 2026, an increase of 10.1% compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

What does this tell us about global cuisine in 2027?

Three important conclusions are emerging.

First, authentic traditional dishes remain important. Consumers are increasingly interested in genuine culinary traditions, regional ingredients and distinctive cooking methods.

Second, sauces and seasonings are becoming powerful drivers of innovation. A single ingredient such as gochujang can influence numerous unrelated dishes.

4. culinary boundaries are becoming less rigid. Korean ingredients can appear in Italian pasta, Mexican tacos and American burgers without replacing the original cuisines.

These findings are consistent with Kerry’s October 2026 research, which identifies cross-cultural flavour development, heritage ingredients and bold sensory experiences as major directions for 2027.