Monica Bhide 
Is all cuisine fusion? I am not talking about new-age cooking of combining strange ingredients and calling it food. I am talking here about how a cuisine grows and becomes the sign of a culture. What really is fusion? I would LOVE your comments on this article that appeared in the Times of India over the weekend – click here to read.
Excerpt – "A couple of years ago, at the French Embassy in Washington DC, I mentioned garlic being used in an Indian fish curry that my mother had taught me how to make. An older Indian lady was very upset and said she had never heard of garlic being used in that dish. I was really taken aback; I tried to talk to her but no amount of explanation on my part would convince her. It wasn’t the only time when the authenticity of a dish I prepared was questioned. In college, I once cooked an Indian dinner for a group of international friends and the dessert was custard and jelly. One of the guests wondered why I couldn’t have found something more Indian and then conceded that this dish that I learnt at my grandmother’s knee was something the British must have left behind."
“We are what are eat.”
How we prepare and consume food is a good reflection on the individuals and cultures of the times.
I often have to use substitute ingredients in recipes and they turn out delicious.
Monica,
I say this often , unlike Larousse Gastronomique that contains French dishes, cooking techniques, and recipes we have no no known chronicled “Indian” dishes. What our grandmothers taught us are what we know and loved – Fruit custard is one example – love it with Brown and Polson Custard. When I was a chef in Hyderabad India, everyday we would get leads to dishes that are becoming extinct. One example I remember is lentils cooked with tender fresh tamarind leaves.
My point is every household in India made their own versions of food.
Thsanks for sharing.
Shashi