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Full Story Nagi v Brooki: does anyone really own a recipe?
May 7, 2025
Alyx Gorman, Lifestyle editor at Guardian Australia, dives into the spicy controversy surrounding culinary icons Nagi Maehashi and Brooke Bellamy. They discuss allegations of recipe plagiarism over a caramel slice that has stirred the Australian baking community. Gorman unpacks the legal and ethical challenges of recipe ownership, highlighting differing copyright laws. The conversation also explores the contrasting styles of these two chefs and the impact of online influence on recipe creation, stirring crucial debates on culinary originality.
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Recipes and Copyright Complexity
- Recipes cannot be copyrighted in a straightforward way, unlike literary works.
- The plagiarism debate in recipes is rarer and more complex than in books with narratives or memoirs.
Two Competing Cookbook Stars
- Nagi Maehashi is Australia's bestselling cookbook author with 1.5 million Instagram followers.
- Brooke Bellamy gained fame as a TikTok bakery owner and presents a more aspirational style.
Recipe Similarities Spark Claims
- Nagi alleged Brooke copied her recipes for caramel slice and baklava with nearly identical ingredients and methods.
- Similarities were so precise they went beyond typical recipe coincidences.
