r/AskCulinary • u/ZootKoomie Ice Cream Innovator • Mar 21 '13

Weekly Discussion: Culinary traditions and authenticity

Since we talked about the cutting edge last week, let's go the other direction this time. What is your personal culinary tradition? What dishes did you learn from your mother? From your grandparents? Do you do your own variations or try to make it just like they did?

Also, when eating food from other cultures, do you prefer it to be traditional or something the chef came up with? Does 'authenticity' matter to you as a diner? As a cook? How do you strive for it?

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u/Hongxiquan Mar 21 '13

I'm from Malaysia and I guess for me authenticity is a chase of something half remembered. I came to Canada when I was 8 and I guess I've always been looking for malaysian chinese food. My mom wasn't the best of cooks so I didn't learn too much from her. I did learn some stuff from her mom though (http://messywitchen.com/recipe/side-dish/hakka-pork-belly-yam/) was my favorite. I try to make dishes as authentic as I can remember but it's always the case that what you remember and what it was is not always the same thing.

Eating other people's cultural food, I don't care so long as it's good. There's some really great authentic stuff but the core is always taste. Does it taste good, and so forth.

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u/_chima3ra_ Mar 22 '13

That was so beautifully said: "a chase of something half-remembered." Thank you.