I’m deep into dill at the moment—both cooking- and writing-wise, so this is a short post.

Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885.

I’m interested in adaptations and culinary hybrids. In recipes and dishes that trumpet their inauthenticity. ‘Supermarket aisles keep filling with edible mash-ups between major brands—but do any of them actually taste good?’ asks an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. The examples they give (which sound like something kids might come up with) are commercial collaborations, dreamed up by adults in marketing departments to bring together well-known brands to create—well, something. Novelties that combine both manufacturers’ products, no matter how unappetising—and unneeded—the end result.

The cross-pollinations I like most arise from individual experimentation, changed circumstances, environmental concerns and conversations across cultural and culinary lines. A recent discovery was this chai lamington from the Holi Crop café/bakery in Sydney’s northern suburb of Turramurra. It’s a delicious, Indian-influenced take on the traditional lamington.