The Idea of Authenticity
Why originality means different things to different people.
Why originality means different things to different people.
I have been thinking about the idea of authenticity for a while,particularly now that fusion cuisine is in such flourish. It is the sort of culinary seesaw that engages ones epicuriosity. In wide ranging conversations with chefs across culinary disciplines,authenticity has become an oft-repeated term. Its a trend now,and one not necessarily born out of whimsy or as a reaction to fusion cuisine,but possibly out of necessity. With the Indian diner travelling,experiencing international cuisine in home countries as well as acquainting themselves with regional Indian cuisine,the discerning diner can tell his yam cha from his dim sum. So what is authentic? Chef Arun Kumar,executive chef of the Zambar chain of restaurants serving south Indian coastal food,refuses to use the term authentic he insists on traditional instead. There is a reason I want to speak to him,he is a natural chef,having never spent a day in a culinary school and hopefully,not one with set ideas of culinary aesthetics. He decided to turn professional at the age of 50. Kitchens are notoriously ageist. Young,strappy unskilled men are hired for commis positions mostly for their hardiness and stamina. Speak to any chef over 35,and unless hes been very fortunate,he/she will have some physical ailment to slow him down. The kitchen is a demanding master,with long working hours,the necessity to be on one’s feet through the day,rare breaks and the proximity to oppressive heat.
Arun Kumar doesnt wear a chefs cap. He wears something that looks like a ninja headscarf and has the lithe agility of a martial artist his long fingered hands slicing the air when he speaks of his craft. He tells me that the first thing he did at the Zambar kitchen was to throw out all the paneer. One can almost visualise him sweeping the paneer off the kitchen counter and into an expectant bin with a masterful karate sweep. It has no place in south Indian food,he says,unaware of his cinematic appearance. He doesnt much care for the word authentic and tires quickly of well rehearsed clichés of going back to the roots or home style cooking.
I personally remember the whole home-style cooking idea; to call it a trend would be an understatement. It was quite the revolution at five star hotels. Gossip suggests that the delicate digestive system of a hotel proprietor had the chefs scurrying to make him ghar ka khaana,following which,diktats that this should be a regular menu,were issued. The logic behind this was that the weary business traveller missed home and hence home must be brought to him. And what is more tangible than food? But then,while something may be authentic to the palate,it need not be authentic to the culinary tradition. Chef Kumar says that by traditional he means comfort food. The way the world is moving,people are expecting a certain amount of comfort food By that he means the basics flavours,taste and method of cookery.
Authenticity is so often abused and used as a convenient selling point that chefs like Kumar are seeking new ways to define it; especially when the flavour landscape changes every few kilometers. He elaborates,Take a trip from Cochin to Trivandrum,three different cuisines will evolve,starting from Syrian,Moplah to Nair. The Kerala stew,for example,has gone through a process of evolution but as long as you stick to a time frame and basic spices and cooking method,you can claim authenticity in that context. Its interesting to think of food as evolving,to redefine history from the perspective of the palate. A food festival based on this is waiting to be curated.
The Chef,however,is irate: my logic is disjointed,the definition of authenticity still escapes me,he says. Check the dictionary, he thunders,Authentic means authentic. I am not surprised,he is a culinary absolutist. Hes just back from a food recce in Lucknow,researching Awadhi cuisine,two weeks in old kitchens and a tummy bug later,he looks leaner,more wise. He tells me there is no authentic Awadhi food,none! How does one thicken Nihari? Not with flour or besan. Thats wrong! Its to be done with chironji paste,but no one does that anymore, he says. Or the fact that the chicken korma,wasnt meant to be one at all,the authentic korma was made with pheasant,squab and partridge,not chickens. Do you find broccoli in a vegetarian phad thai?,he asks suddenly. I nod. Do you know how they make a vegetarian phad thai in Thailand? They dont.
Advaita Kala is an author and has worked in restaurants and kitchens in India and abroad
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