(1) Authenticity at its Finest?

(1)

Growing up in Toronto; a vibrant city known for its multiculturism where we are surrounded by small distinct cultural hub communities that present a vast variety of delicious, mouth-watering, “authentic ethnic dishes” for us to experience, indulge, and unleash our inner-foodie. Being born into the Indian culture, I was exposed to traditional Indian cuisine from a very young age. I can smell the spice, onions, aromas and all the flavors from a mile away!

Living in the world with mass globalization and commercialization of food; people often argue about authenticity in food, especially if they have travelled or tried home-cooked versions of ethnic dishes. We are fortunate to live in a multi-cultural city with many diverse dining options, but there is still an ongoing quest to find “the most authentic food”. But what does “authentic” really mean? Can it be defined? Does it really matter, if it’s not authentic cuisine, but it taste delicious?

Authenticity in general, let alone in food, is an objective phenomenon. The only way it can be measured is relative to the context in which it was made and whether it was available. 

 

Everyone has their own interpretation and experience to eating “authentic ethnic dishes”. The definitions of what “authentic ethnic dishes” is built through our past experiences, our social environment, and mainstream media.

Some people often hold what they grew up with as a golden standard for authentic cuisine for example, Jack Astor’s version of “Butter Chicken”, in my opinion is not authentic Indian cuisine, it is merely a production for uniqueness added to the menu. The other gold standard for authenticity is what people bring back after travelling to the place where the dish originated. We have all met individuals like this in our lifetime; just because one has tried sushi in Japan, croissants in Paris, chicken tikka masala in India, does not necessarily make him or her a connoisseur of that food. 

 

Authentic dishes ingredients, techniques, methods, recipes and traditions evolve with time, place, chefs and plates. Quite often, recipes are regional, or even unique to cities. It is also unreasonable to bring these standards of authenticity to an ethnic table outside of its origin. 

 

When considering foods outside of their natural context—that is, foods eaten in a country or region that of where they do not originate—the question of authenticity and what it means to be "authentic" is always a vexing one. Ethnic food that is made outside of its natural context can be deemed as inauthentic by default. Think about it, ingredients and resources are limited and vary from place to place, so just like the “eat local” movement which is “as local as possible”, so is the goal for “authenticity”. Ethnic food is often “as authentic as possible” given the available ingredients. Global ingredients can be hard to source and local ingredients just taste different so to replicate flavours of a different country is nearly impossible. 

 

The ultimate question is, what does it mean to eat authentic cuisine and more precisely, is it even possible for authenticity to be preserved across the many barriers of language mapping, social custom, and regional tastes? What's the verdict? Food doesn't have to be "authentic" to be delicious—though it certainly helps to maintain the spirit of the cuisine, culture, and history. The concept of “authentic cuisine” has unquestionably pushed food forward in this nation, exposing millions of new flavors, ingredients and spices that no one imagined or experienced. 

 

Growing up in Toronto as a South Indian, I have experienced, tasted, and compared Indian cuisine from the times I went to India, to all the Indian and non-Indian restaurants (that serve “modified versions of Indian cuisine”) in Toronto- and I can say for sure, there is a vast difference in flavor, spice, presentation and style of the food. So, are we really eating “authentic cuisine”? Or is time we moved beyond authentic, towards a more malleable, and perhaps delicious, cuisine instead.