Fusão: Untraditional Recipes Inspired by Brasil

Drawing on her Brazilian heritage and a career shaped in the Ottolenghi kitchens, Ixta Belfrage offers a vibrant, imaginative introduction to the food of Brazil. Rather than pursuing strict traditionalism, she emphasizes inspiration: the idea that good cooking often comes from borrowing, adapting, and creating something new.

Her recipes begin with what she calls “flavor bombs”—oils, marinades, sauces, and toppings designed to be used flexibly in any number of contexts. Examples include a cashew coconut chile oil and potato straws, fried into crisp matchsticks for adding texture. 

From there, Belfrage builds full dishes that reflect both Brazil’s indigenous, Portuguese, and African foundations and the immigrant traditions—Middle Eastern, Japanese, Italian—that have further shaped its cuisine. For example:

• Roasted root vegetables with maple, lime, and chile

• Zucchini blossoms stuffed with shrimp and cod

• Grilled fish with mango curry butter

• Duck in golden tomato broth

• Papaya and chocolate cake with citrus glaze

Photographs from her travels and personal stories frame the cooking in a wider cultural context. The result is a book that is colorful, generous, and practical: an invitation to explore Brazilian flavors with confidence, whether through a complete recipe or a single element that sparks new ideas in your own kitchen.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.