Flavourful controversies

Who owns a recipe, and should one fight over its origins?

Culinary authenticity has long been debated. What people eat offers a window to their culture. Food is an important medium for tracing and navigating the threads of tradition. The “correct” tadka (tempering with whole spices) has been hotly debated — from college canteens to newsrooms. But what is an “authentic” recipe?

The widely-loved butter chicken, for instance, has recently made headlines due to a lawsuit over its origins, with two Delhi-based restaurants claiming to be its creators. Both Moti Mahal, which was set up by Kundan Lal Gujral, and Daryaganj, founded by Kundan Lal Jaggi, assert that they were the inventors