Essay Sample on Cultural Exchange: The Impact of Food on People's Culture

Introduction

Food is one of the cornerstones of a people’s culture (Thaker & Barton, 2012). Despite most parts of the world sharing similar food products such as animal and plant products, people have devised different approaches to preparing their food. The Columbian Exchange, often credited for the transfer of plants and animals, lead to the increased availability of food supplies across the countries, which also made it possible for cultural exchange including cuisine. One of the global foods is Chicken Tikka Masala, which refers to a delicious, mouthwatering dish made with boneless chunks of roasted marinated chicken, and often submerged in spicy, creamy curry (Noel, 2020). The main ingredients needed in preparing Chicken tikka masala include boneless pieces of chicken (mainly the thighs), yogurt, garlic, minced ginger, red chilies, butter, onions, turmeric, tomato paste, and cooking oi (Noel, 2020). The chicken pieces are roasted and then dipped in the curry, giving the dish a tasty, yummy, and irresistible characteristic. Chicken tikka is highly distributed across the world to appoint of creating confusion about its specific origin.

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The Origin and Transformation of Chicken Tikka

The mythology of chicken tikka masala (CTM) cuisine traces its history to Britain. The Dish was first created in Glasgow, Scotland, in Shish Mahal restaurant operated by a chef with Indian origin (Thaker & Barton, 2012). The Shish Mahal restaurant was famous for preparing chicken tikka, but as the mythology goes, one day, a customer complained that the “food (chicken tikka) was too dry.” The chef becomes creative and used condensed tomato soup, curry powder, and cream to prepare the sauce. Based on the history, the origin of CTM can be attributed to two settings; one Indian origin due to the spicy cuisine in preparing the sauce commonly evidenced with Indian food, and British since the first place the dish was prepared was done in a British restaurant located in Scotland. The presence of curry in most Indian Restaurants in Britain has affirmed the CTM dish in British. The dish has gained profound popularity among the British people, and the Britons are never apologetic in affirming the admiration for CTM as British heritage (Crowther, 2013).

In 2001, Robin Cook, the then Foreign Minister, pronounced CTM as part of the British culinary heritage applauding the shared national culture across countries such as England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (Crowther, 2013). Later on, there was a motion moved in the United Kingdom parliament with the aim of securing CTM as British heritage through European Union Protection Designation of Origin status. Further proclamation of ownership and appreciation of CTM cuisine saw the dish placed in the menu for the British Army by the Ministry of Defense in 2009 (Crowther, 2013). These efforts by the British authorities depict the significance of CTM in British culture. It has been established that the owner of the restaurant where the product was first prepared is Ali Ahmed Aslam (Noel, E. (2020).

The introduction of Indian cuisine and its appreciation by the non-Indian citizens in Britain as part of their domestic dish speaks volumes on culinary exchange across nations. The dish has transformed progressively over time and gaining popularity across borders and way far from the cuisine origin. Despite maintaining the original components, CTM has borrowed ingredients, techniques, flavors, and eating habits from different parts of the world, transforming to match the local cultures. The introduction of different flavors in yogurt, different spices, and improved cooking strategies has enhanced the transformation of CTM (Noel, 2020). The CTM cuisine has brought about similar meat dishes such as fish, mutton, beef or port closely related to CTM.

Why Chicken Tikka Masala is a Global Food

Chicken tikka masala is a global food based on a number of factors. The cuisine is globally known and popular for its taste. The majority of the world-known and some of the local five-star hotels and restaurants across the globe do sell CTM. Chicken tikka masala is not a British only or Indian reserve. The dish is a favorite for many from different cultures and different parts of the world (Thaker & Barton, 2012). Chicken tikka masala is also a global dish based on the fact that its ingredients are available globally. The availability of the majority of the ingredients makes it possible for chefs to prepare the dish, unlike some dishes whose ingredients are locally available. Also, the dish is popular worldwide, given that majority of ingredients are used in preparing the product are considered appropriate for food across the globe. Doing a search for the menus of different restaurants proves that CTM is a global food. The volume of the food consumed is in the tunes of 18 tons every week in Britain (Crowther, 2013), depicting the popularity of the CTM.

The relevance of Course Terms in Food Analysis

People express their national identity through food. Even though such nations may be just imagined communities, the nationals share food and cuisine as a particular way of depicting their uniqueness from the rest. Indeed, the great Anthony Bourdain asserted that there is nothing more political than food, for it much more than a conglomerate of ingredients (Thaker & Barton, 2012). Instead, food is a source of national pride, one that nations seek to own and preserve. Despite globalization and increased mixing of cultures worldwide, the original cuisine-defining a certain food can be traced. People and cultures have maintained their cuisine through literature or safeguarding the original food. The British authorities have been expressive on the need to conserve and own chicken tikka masala cuisine as their national heritage.

Essentialism is also crucial in food analysis. Ideally, essentialism describes the concept that an entity, such as chicken tikka masala, has a set of attributes crucial to setting it aside or unique from others for ease of identification. In as far as CTM is concerned, the product has set of attributes such as the ingredients used in preparing the food, a specific way of preparing the food, and a set of recommended guidelines on serving the food. These specifics also intertwine with the culture of food origin to further set the food as a cuisine.

Conclusion

In conclusion, chicken tikka masala is global food whose origin is traced to Scotland as an invention of a chef responding to customer's requests to make chicken tikka dish less dry. Since the invention of the dish, it has gained popularity and symbolizes cultural assimilation since it was invented in England by an immigrant operating a restaurant in Britain. The food (CTM) has since been considered a crucial part of British culinary heritage and remains a choice for many across the world.

References

Crowther, G. (2013). Eating culture: An anthropological guide to food. University of Toronto Press. pp 143 -145.

Noel, E. (2020). The history of chicken tikka masala. Food and Wine. Accessed 2020 July 7 from https://foodandwine.ie/features/chicken-tikka-masala-history

Thaker, A. & Barton, A. (2012). Multicultural handbook of food, nutrition, and dietetics. John Wiley & Sons.