Centuries of fusion have shaped the culinary landscape, and the blending of flavours between Italy and Japan is no exception.

When Sonoko Sakai’s mother snuck a little miso into her lasagna, she wasn’t thinking of the kind of Japanese fusion that ... into her Italian Wedding Soup, a dish she learned from relatives ...

She sneaks sake, soy sauce and ginger into her Italian Wedding Soup, a dish she learned from relatives on her grandmother’s side, who are from the Italian part of Switzerland. The pork meatballs are ...

It means “secret flavor” but Japanese cooks think of them more like secret agents, Sakai said. “I call them little ninjas.” She sneaks sake, soy sauce and ginger into her Italian wedding soup, a dish ...