The Perpetual Quest for ‘Authenticity’ in Indian Cuisine: An Answer through History and Folklore
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Abstract
This paper explores the continuous demand and supply of ‘authentic’ Indian food in restaurants across India with some discussion of the meaning of authenticity in this context. The author argues that authenticity is a character of a dish and a recipe is authentic by virtue of the logic behind its birth which lies its history, space, time and folklore. Often, a recipe is developed gradually over time and is not an immediate result of a historical event; in such cases, its history travels from word of mouth as culinary lore. The author, thus, defines several factors which were key to the development of contemporary Indian cuisine. These factors are divided into two categories, need and choice, based on the history and folklore associated with them. This becomes the groundwork for understanding the spirit of Indian cuisine.
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