Sealing in the flavours

If you have grandparents who are interested in food, here are some questions you can ask them.

- VIR SANGHVI

Many of our iconic dishes aren't as old as they seem. Authenticity matters. But so does innovation. So, where do we draw the line?

If they are from Mangalore or even Malvan, ask if they ever ate crab in butter garlic at home. If they are Punjabis, ask how much cream they put in their mutton curry or even if they put lots of tomatoes in their black dal.

If they are from Tamil Nadu, ask if they ate home-made masala dosas when they were children. In nearly every case, I suspect, you will be met with looks of mystification.

Does this mean that these dishes are fake?

No. It doesn't.

I have often said that there is a fundamental problem with all debates about the authenticity of food. For a cuisine to advance, new dishes have to be created, old recipes have to be tweaked and new ingredients incorporated. So can any cuisine ever remain the same as it was 50 years ago? And why should it? Frankly, it's fine if your grandmother is mystified by what has happened to the cuisine of her childhood.

On the other hand, when we go to a regional cuisine restaurant, don't we expect to get the traditional cuisine of the region? Why should we be satisfied with made-up dishes invented recently?

There are strong arguments on both sides.

The French make a clear and sensible distinction. There are many traditional dishes and regional specialities and the French insist that these are cooked according to the prescribed recipes.