Do You Care if a Recipe is Authentic?

I don't really care, ultimately, if a recipe is authentic or not - but I do prefer people who write or make videos showcasing their recipes let us know if it is authentic or not. It's not a matter of red onion vs yellow onion - sometimes for ingredients you have to use what is at hand. But, say, a lasagna is not mac and cheese with tomato sauce. Definitionally - all wrong. (Yes, this has been done on YouTube.)

Terminology matters. But within rational bounds (we can argue about "rational") most authentic recipes have some leeway hither and yon. And if an ingredient isn't available - it is fine to punt. And to declare where one has punted.

And it is really a simple matter to name the dish you made something that reflects on any significant changes one has made - hence, that mac and cheese with tomato sauce instead of lasagna; and hence cottage pie (made with beef) over shepherd's pie (made with lamb). In so many cases, it's a matter of communicating.
 
Another thought on authenticity: Chinese food. I was lucky enough to live for a time close enough to Chinatown in New York City. Americanized (ie, non-authentic) Chinese food is far too sweetened and un-interesting for me to enjoy it well. Not due to it's inauthenticity per se. So it is wonderful to have had dim sum and actual full out meals in Chinatown - to learn about the full and tastier food ranges in Chinese cuisine. This is something I miss where I live now. And note - China is a huge geographically-diverse country. In major metropolitan Chinatowns, there is so much to enjoy. So, with that cuisine especially, I appreciate authenticity. Where I live now - Chinese restaurant food sucks.
 
One more point. Making food for ordinary customers is pretty easy and most recipe, that aren't absolutely out of the way, will work.

When gourmets or other chefs try my stuff it's totally different, they're eating it not only to get stuffed, but also to taste it. They're rating it, usually it's an overall comparison to what other chefs serve, or themselves and then what I could improve to get nearer to the next standard and then there's their personal gusto.
 
Two more thoughts.
When Giovanni Cipriani invented "Carpaccio" in 1950, it was for 2 reasons. Firstly, because some countess or other had been told to eat plenty of raw meat by her doctor (probably Dr Werewolf) and secondly, because there had been a Carpaccio exhibition (Vittore Carpaccio was a Renaissance painter) and Cipriani had been inspired by Carpaccio's predilection for red and white.
" So what's with the green bits and capers, eh?"
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The original looks like this (and yes, I have tried it, and it's absolutely divine)
Carpaccio Harry's Bar.jpg


Second thought. When I invent a new dish (which is about as often as the Royal Family eat a garlic sandwich), I start from scratch. I look to see what I've got available, and then start putting things together. I do not hang on the coat tails of some other recipe and say "right, I'm going to make a revolutionary Mac And Cheese! I'm going to use Cornish Yarg Cheese! Whoopeee! I'm a genius!" I might call my dish " A Yarg with my Penne", or " Papardelle Yargalelle" - and it may taste utterly awful - but at least I was original enough to give it a new name,
 
Some dishes evolve in the same way language does. It's not a case of everything having to be original.

Rick Stein who a lot of people enjoy the food of has said of himself he is not inventive, he is a recipe collector, he travels about trying food and making those recipes either as he experienced them or adjusted to suit him.
He might be "hanging on the coat tails" but I see no reason he can't be enjoyed too.
 
karadekoolaid said:
You're right: recipes are, generally speaking, guidelines. However, there are certain recipes which are, let's call them, works of art, or so special that they deserve respect. Robuchon's quail with foie Gras; Marco Pierre White's Leek and Lobster Terrine; Adria's Red Mullet Gaudi - and even something as simple as Arrigo Cipriani's Carpaccio. I personally find it rather offensive that people think they can slap circles of almost anything on a plate, slather them with pesto, mayonnaise, chimichurri or whatever, enclose the plate in a jungle of watercress, sliced mushrooms, arugula, sundried tomatoes, microgreens, and then have the nerve to call the dish "carpaccio".
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When I modify a recipe I don't call it anything so there is no need for you to be offended.
 
blades said:
When I modify a recipe I don't call it anything so there is no need for you to be offended.
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No, no, no - don't get me wrong. I'm never offended! I just feel it's a shame that, when someone goes to all that trouble to invent something completely new and creative, then others copy it without considering its origins.
Think of it like this. A bloke called Shakespeare wrote a play called "Romeo & Juliet". Then along came Harry, and wrote a play called " Juliet and her lover, Romeo". Almost the same story, slight change... :laugh: :laugh:
Additionally, I know perfectly well that plagiarism happens and there's almost nothing we can do about it. Fine. I still think it's a shame.
 
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