Food Authentic versus good food...

Yep. That's pretty much what I am on about.

 

Authentic is seldom a useful word to describe food, unless what is being touted is a cultural experience centered around food. But few restaurants attempt to do this anymore, especially considering how prevalent fusion cuisines are-- which is really for the best, I think.

Generally speaking, whether in a restaurant or in a home kitchen, authenticity should not be the objective: good food, well executed, and well presented, should in fact be the objective, and even presentation can be sacrificed if the execution is good enough.

Food can be authentic as hell and still be poorly prepared: my grandmother had an amazing chicken soup recipe from her mother (beginning with "First, you take a leek..."), and she couldn't cook it worth a damn, despite following the recipe to the letter. The soup was authentic, and bad. When my mom prepared it, it was both authentic and amazing, though my mom slightly modified the recipe (using celery root instead of celery, leaving the greens from the leek and the dill in the broth, etc.). I'd take the latter over the former any time.

 

They're very good for some things, less so for others. I adore onion above nearly any other flavor, so I don't consider leek an acceptable substitute. But it is good in many things (including chicken soup). I actually have a recipe I re-created from an account of the coronation feast of Baldwin, king of Latin Jerusalem, for duck in red wine and sour cherry sauce, served with a well-peppered sautee of cabbage, leek, and garlic. I also use caramelized leek and onion as part of a white bean pate I sometimes make. And I use a mirepoix with added leek at the base of the potato/beer/cheddar soup I make. And so on....

 

That's a great story and it underscores the elusive nature of authenticity. The dictionary tells us that authentic means: of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine. The problem with authenticity as a concept is similar to words like artisanal. Marketing departments have sucked at and shaped the meaning of these words to the point where they no longer hold the meaning they once had -- if they ever held that meaning to begin with.

In other words, when both Mama Leota's red sauce and Mama Lucretia's red sauce are deemed authentic, what is up with authenticity? I guess the question really comes back to: a) what do we mean by authenticity and b) when we say we want something that is authentic what are we really expecting?

A unique experience?
A true moment?
A shared experience (like the barn)?

When you start to pick at it, it kind of unravels.

 

Which Mexican cuisine? There are something like seven regional styles.

In Thailand there are broadly four regional cuisines. The food most of us are familiar with is from Bangkok. The food in the north or south is quite different.

The same can be said for India, China, etc.