This is where 25 years of NGO healthcare work across Africa and Asia stopped being about medicine and started being about spice markets, street vendors, and late-night conversations with people who taught us what their grandmothers knew about flavor. The World Tour isn't fusion for fusion's sake - these are authentic spice profiles we encountered in Cairo souks, Bangkok night markets, Mumbai spice bazaars, Addis Ababa family kitchens, Marrakech medinas, and Tokyo izakayas. We brought home notebooks full of flavor combinations, bags of spices, and deep respect for traditions that go back centuries. Then we spent months learning how to honor those traditions on American bacon without diluting them. These six flavors are the result: bold, authentic, educational, and absolutely delicious. They're the bacon that sparks conversations, that makes people ask questions, that turns a simple food truck transaction into a story about where flavor comes from.
Jerusalem Za'atar brings the herb markets of the Middle East to life. Traditional za'atar blend - wild thyme, sumac, sesame - meets brown sugar and olive oil in a combination that's herby, nutty, and bright with lemony-tart notes. This is ancient flavor meeting modern bacon.
Shanghai Five-Spice showcases the aromatic complexity of traditional Chinese cooking. Star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Szechuan pepper, and fennel create warm, slightly sweet, deeply fragrant bacon with hints of licorice. This is what balance tastes like in Chinese cuisine.
Mumbai Masala captures the floral warmth of India's signature spice blend. Garam masala brings cardamom, coriander, cumin, and warm spices together in a way that's earthy, aromatic, and entirely unique. This is Indian comfort food meeting American tradition.
Addis Fire delivers the layered complexity of Ethiopian berbere spice. Chili peppers, fenugreek, ginger, cardamom, and a dozen other spices build heat that's intricate, not just hot. Complex, warming, with sweet undertones that surprise you.
Marrakech Heat brings North African boldness to bacon. Harissa spice - roasted peppers, cumin, coriander, caraway - creates smoky, earthy heat with depth that keeps revealing itself. This is the bacon for people who think they know heat.
Tokyo Fusion blends the savory-sweet umami of Japanese cooking into bacon form. Hoisin, soy, ginger, and a touch of heat create sticky, complex, deeply satisfying flavor. This is what happens when East meets West and neither wants to leave.
