Culinary cases of mistaken identity
The stories behind some of the world’s favourite dishes aren’t as straight-forward as many think.
As people emigrate and move around the world, foods change and some end up looking entirely different to what they originally were - some claim roots in countries they weren’t created in.
So here are what they really are and where they come from. Don’t worry though, the pavlova is very much from New Zealand.
Chicken tikka masala
This dish, the most eaten in all of the UK, suffers from the assumption it is actually Indian it might be, but that’s up for debate. Ali Ahmad Aslam, owner of Glaswegian restaurant Shish Mahal, claimed to have created the dish after a customer deemed his chicken tikka skewers too dry. The chef threw together a creamy gravy using condensed tomato soup, yoghurt and spices, and tikka masala was born.
UK Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar even tried to get the dish legally recognised as being born in Glasgow, backed by the city council, BBC reported. It wasn’t recognised and Sarwar was reprimanded by Indian chefs.
Not long after the submission, leading food historians told The Telegraph Sarwar’s claims were preposterous, claiming the dish had been around for yonks. Either way, it’s the most-eaten dish in the UK, and if it is truly from Glasgow it has had many fooled for a long time.
Sweet and sour
Sweet and sour as many in the west know it is far removed from the authentic Cantonese dish.The real deal isn’t a putrid shade of highlighter orange, rather a more organic shade of brown and it doesn’t involve pineapple, according to food writer Chichi Wang.
That’s thanks to the chinkiang vinegar, a dark vinegar made from black rice, which gives it its sweet and sour flavour.
‘‘No pineapple juice, no ketchup comes anywhere near the wok. Instead, there is only the mellow yet slightly bitter taste of chinkiang vinegar paired with sugar and soy sauce,’’ she wrote for Serious Eats.
A thick batter is not used either, instead a light coating of cornstarch and egg is used with thin strips of pork, or the mix is added to ribs.
Bolognese
Everyone has their own recipe, but talk to many Italians and they will tell you you’ve got it wrong.
There is only one true recipe for ragu bolognese, legendary chef Antonio Carluccio said, most people cooked it too quickly and over-complicated the meaty sauce.
According to the Italian Academy of Cuisine, who published an official recipe in 1982, the proper ingredients are beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, white wine and milk.
Herbs such as basil or oregano are nowhere in sight, nor is spaghetti, however Carluccio’s recipe was slightly different.
‘‘In Italy, it is tagliatelle bolognese, with freshly made tagliatelle and bolognese without any herbs whatsoever,’’ Carluccio said.
‘‘You should do this: oil, onion, two types of meat - beef and pork and you practically brown this, then you put the tomatoes, then a bit of wine, including tomato paste, and then cook it for three hours.
‘‘That is it. Nothing else. Grate parmesan on the top and Bob’s your uncle.’’
Caesar salad
Caesar was from Rome, so surely if it’s his salad it comes from there? Wrong. It was born in Mexico, thanks to an ItalianAmerican immigrant, Caesar Cardini, who whipped together a salad with what he had at his disposal in 1924, according to The Telegraph.
Despite living in San Diego, Cardini opened a restaurant just south of the border in Tijuana to capitalise on those frustrated by prohibition.
The salad of leftovers was cobbled together on Independence Day that year, the restaurant was busy and running short on ingredients.
So the dish was born, named after the man himself.