The food industry, like fashion, is full of pretention and purism when it tries to reflect culture; it's almost as if the self-appointed palate police believe taste can be regulated. This story tackles a misguided obsession with 'authentic' food and defends those chefs who sometimes get pilloried when they put a twist on a traditional dish. It argues there's no such thing as the exact 'right' French sauce or fully authentic Irish Stew. If you're in another country (or even on the Emerald Isle) changing one ingredient to tease and stimulate the palate doesn't deserve the stigmatisation it attracts. There's one line which effectively counters what the author terms the 'cult of authenticity,' in the context of our ever-evolving world; "It's hard enough making time for cooking in the modern world without giving yourself the added burden of authenticity to live up to.' That eloquently lays out the price puritanical foodies pay. It's a wonderful read and fascinating argument favouring creativity and suggesting the palate police should rather worry about the ubiquitous false foods stacked out in fanciful array on our supermarket shelves. – Chris Bateman

The misguided obsession with 'Authentic' food