A chicken tikka masala and pasta mash-up? It’s an acquired taste…
M&S combines tastes of Indian and Italian cuisine to the bemusement of customers and critics
ONE is Britain’s favourite curry, the other is close to being Italy’s national dish. But M&S’s new “mash-up” of the two, a chicken tikka masala pasta, has not gone down so well with admirers of both cuisines wondering why a British take on a south Asian curry would be mixed with a Mediterranean staple.
Cristina Onuta, the manager of I Camisa & Son in Soho, one of Britain’s oldest Italian delicatessens where they have sold fresh pasta and sauces since 1929, said: “I know it’s good to be diverse and inclusive but this sounds just a bit too unusual. With cuisine you have to be careful with what you mix together.”
Aktar Islam, the head chef at Opheem, the first Indian restaurant to be awarded two Michelin stars earlier this year, told The Telegraph: “It’s not something I’ve ever tried. I won’t be indulging in that, it’s just not for me. But at the end of the day the customer will decide. Food is always evolving and it’s a universal language. That’s the beauty of it.”
The introduction of the “limited edition lightly chargrilled chicken tikka masala pasta”, part of the Viva Summer range, comes after M&S was accused of cultural appropriation over its “Spanish chorizo paella croquetas”, which critics described as “wrong on every level”.
In a taste test, the Telegraph’s food columist Xanthe Clay said: “My first instinct is that it’s just weird” but concluded that “the flavour delivers a pleasant balance of spices in the Anglo-Indian tradition. The dish as a whole is a bit stodgy but in a comforting way – this might be part of the supermarket’s “Viva! Summer” range but it feels more suited to a grey and rainy after-work dinner than an al fresco lunch in the sunshine”.
M&S say their fusion of pasta and curry is the brainchild of Russ Goad, its chef. Emilie Wolfman, the food trends researcher at M&S Food, said: “Fusion and mash-ups allow experimentation and freedom in exploring a contrast of flavours and textures and can take many forms, including combining two culinary disciplines evenly to create something new and distinctive. Whether it’s Yorkshire puddings served burrito style or Italian food with an Indian twist, mashups are making waves of their own, in particular with a younger audience.”