A History Of Indian Food In Britain
Brits have, for many years, loved food with bite and so it wasn’t surprising that when a migrant from India opened the country’s very first Indian restaurant some 200 years ago it was a hit.
In 1809 the curry house ran an advert in the newspaper announcing the opening. The location of the restaurant was not accidental – the area of London in which it was situated was very popular with people returning from the Colonies. The advert read: “Indian dishes, in the highest perfection…. Unequalled to any curries ever made in England’.
This was truly an experience of the senses – visitors would enjoy the spicy vegetable and meat dishes whilst reclining on cane settees with hookah pipes at their side.
The name of this forward thinking migrant was Dean Mahomed. He is famed for having opened Britain’s very first restaurant dedicated purely to Indian Cuisine.
But this was by no means the first establishment in Britain to serve curry – there were a few coffee houses already serving curry along with their normal food. Ex-pats returning home from the Indian subcontinent also attempted to recreate the meals and dishes they had come to love whilst in the Colonies in their own homes.
Many had to depend on their own personal recipes while others could have utilised some of the curry and pilau recipes that were to be found in Hannah Glasse’s ‘The Art of Cookery’ which dated back to 1747.
Janet Clarke, an antiquarian bookseller, commented that many of the earlier recipes were very mild and were flavoured more with herbs than spices. She went on to say that it was common to find curries and pilaus flavoured with coriander seeds, peppercorns, lemon juice and salt.
When it came to the 19th Century more ingredients had become available and were used in these recipes: fenugreek, cumin, ginger, turmeric and cayenne, for example. She has even recreated some of the old recipes and the results were amazing.
Many things that are now considered to be archetypally ‘English’ have their origins in Indian Cuisine: Piccalilli, for example – this was an English version of an Indian pickle; Kedgeree, a very traditional British breakfast dish, uses Indian spices.
Ivan Day, a historian specialising in food, also commented on how the ways of cooking Indian food was very different: frying meat in fat (such as ghee) was alien to the British. They also had to get used to the fact that the herbs and spices were not fresh, but had taken 6 months to arrive by boat.
Spicy mix
It mustn’t be forgotten, however, that the taste for spicy food that developed in the West had started very much earlier than this. Knights fighting in the Crusades would bring back spices from the East. This spice trade was indeed highly lucrative and resulted in many European countries establishing bases in India. This was either through the setting up of trading companies, or by colonising the areas.
Having such a mix of cultures present, along with the conquest of India by the Mughals, meant that there were many ‘mixes’ of tastes and dishes. In fact Biyani is inspired by Persian cuisine, while the Vindaloo is based on a meat dish from Portugal which as adapted by the Goans.
Indians describe their dishes based on the ingredients, for example ‘Korma’ or ‘Bhuna’ so where does the word ‘curry’ come from? It has been suggested that the Tamil word for sauce, ‘Kari’ has lead to the name, but a cookbook published in 1390 referred to dishes as ‘cury’, which related to any hot and spicy dish. A more likely explanation is that it is derived from the French word ‘cuire’ which means ‘to cook’.
A Taste Of The Exotic
There is documentary evidence form the 19th Century that tells of British Colonials in India partaking of curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Yet despite this, less than 3 years after opening his Indian restaurant, The Hindostanee, Mr Mahomed was filing for bankruptcy.
It seems the problem was that although the concept and the restaurant were good, it would appear Mr Mahomed was a little ahead of his time. In those days very few people actually dined out, rather they would employ a chef or do their own cooking at home. The restaurant did, in fact, continue in business but under someone else’s ownership.
There was great enthusiasm for everything related to India and this spread into the middle classes during the 19th Century.
Queen Victoria added to this interest by employing Indian members of staff to cook Indian food on a daily basis. She even had on of the State Rooms at Osborne House decorated with an Indian theme by a highly regarded Punjabi architect.
As the popularity of curry increased, a cookbook published in 1852 commented that unless one was one the table a dinner wouldn’t be considered complete. Calcutta born writer William Thackeray even wrote a poem to curry and mentioned it in his novel Vanity Fair
When, though, in 1857 British rule was challenged in the Indian subcontinent, enthusiasm for the cuisine waned. It regained support towards the end of the Century, however, when Empire became a political issue for Minister Disraeli.
Even though under Queen Victoria’s rule India turned out to be the brightest jewel in the crown, interest in Indian culinary delights became less and less as everyone who was anyone at that time had a French chef.
Curry and chips
By the time the 20th Century arrived curry had become rather passé – no well-to-do housewife wanted her home smelling of curry! Mealtimes then became what is known now as ‘meat and two veg’ – vegetables could be home grown such as potatoes and cabbage.
During this time quite a few Indian sailors abandoned ship or were dumped by their crew in some of the UK’s major ports, which included London and Cardiff. These sailors were from a part of Bangladesh called Sylhet, and they proceeded to open cafes in those areas predominantly to cater for other Asians.
They were not trained chefs but soon learned to adapt their menus to cater for British tastes. In the early years of the war they would buy bomb damaged cafes and sell not only the traditional fish & chips but also curry and rice. They also realised that by staying open late they could earn extra revenue when the pubs closed.
This is now the modern day tradition of the late night curry started.
In 1971, when Bangladesh was ravaged by war, many of its inhabitants fled to London, in particular to the East End. A great number of these went into catering and to this day the curry industry is dominated by them. It’s thought they own 65-75% of all Indian restaurants Nationwide, and their hard work has brought great success to the industry in the UK.
Robin Cook, when he was Foreign Secretary, even labelled the Chicken Tikka Masala “a true British national dish” – the dish having been adapted to suit the British palate.
In 1809 the curry house ran an advert in the newspaper announcing the opening. The location of the restaurant was not accidental – the area of London in which it was situated was very popular with people returning from the Colonies. The advert read: “Indian dishes, in the highest perfection…. Unequalled to any curries ever made in England’.
This was truly an experience of the senses – visitors would enjoy the spicy vegetable and meat dishes whilst reclining on cane settees with hookah pipes at their side.
The name of this forward thinking migrant was Dean Mahomed. He is famed for having opened Britain’s very first restaurant dedicated purely to Indian Cuisine.
But this was by no means the first establishment in Britain to serve curry – there were a few coffee houses already serving curry along with their normal food. Ex-pats returning home from the Indian subcontinent also attempted to recreate the meals and dishes they had come to love whilst in the Colonies in their own homes.
Many had to depend on their own personal recipes while others could have utilised some of the curry and pilau recipes that were to be found in Hannah Glasse’s ‘The Art of Cookery’ which dated back to 1747.
Janet Clarke, an antiquarian bookseller, commented that many of the earlier recipes were very mild and were flavoured more with herbs than spices. She went on to say that it was common to find curries and pilaus flavoured with coriander seeds, peppercorns, lemon juice and salt.
When it came to the 19th Century more ingredients had become available and were used in these recipes: fenugreek, cumin, ginger, turmeric and cayenne, for example. She has even recreated some of the old recipes and the results were amazing.
Many things that are now considered to be archetypally ‘English’ have their origins in Indian Cuisine: Piccalilli, for example – this was an English version of an Indian pickle; Kedgeree, a very traditional British breakfast dish, uses Indian spices.
Ivan Day, a historian specialising in food, also commented on how the ways of cooking Indian food was very different: frying meat in fat (such as ghee) was alien to the British. They also had to get used to the fact that the herbs and spices were not fresh, but had taken 6 months to arrive by boat.
Spicy mix
It mustn’t be forgotten, however, that the taste for spicy food that developed in the West had started very much earlier than this. Knights fighting in the Crusades would bring back spices from the East. This spice trade was indeed highly lucrative and resulted in many European countries establishing bases in India. This was either through the setting up of trading companies, or by colonising the areas.
Having such a mix of cultures present, along with the conquest of India by the Mughals, meant that there were many ‘mixes’ of tastes and dishes. In fact Biyani is inspired by Persian cuisine, while the Vindaloo is based on a meat dish from Portugal which as adapted by the Goans.
Indians describe their dishes based on the ingredients, for example ‘Korma’ or ‘Bhuna’ so where does the word ‘curry’ come from? It has been suggested that the Tamil word for sauce, ‘Kari’ has lead to the name, but a cookbook published in 1390 referred to dishes as ‘cury’, which related to any hot and spicy dish. A more likely explanation is that it is derived from the French word ‘cuire’ which means ‘to cook’.
A Taste Of The Exotic
There is documentary evidence form the 19th Century that tells of British Colonials in India partaking of curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Yet despite this, less than 3 years after opening his Indian restaurant, The Hindostanee, Mr Mahomed was filing for bankruptcy.
It seems the problem was that although the concept and the restaurant were good, it would appear Mr Mahomed was a little ahead of his time. In those days very few people actually dined out, rather they would employ a chef or do their own cooking at home. The restaurant did, in fact, continue in business but under someone else’s ownership.
There was great enthusiasm for everything related to India and this spread into the middle classes during the 19th Century.
Queen Victoria added to this interest by employing Indian members of staff to cook Indian food on a daily basis. She even had on of the State Rooms at Osborne House decorated with an Indian theme by a highly regarded Punjabi architect.
As the popularity of curry increased, a cookbook published in 1852 commented that unless one was one the table a dinner wouldn’t be considered complete. Calcutta born writer William Thackeray even wrote a poem to curry and mentioned it in his novel Vanity Fair
When, though, in 1857 British rule was challenged in the Indian subcontinent, enthusiasm for the cuisine waned. It regained support towards the end of the Century, however, when Empire became a political issue for Minister Disraeli.
Even though under Queen Victoria’s rule India turned out to be the brightest jewel in the crown, interest in Indian culinary delights became less and less as everyone who was anyone at that time had a French chef.
Curry and chips
By the time the 20th Century arrived curry had become rather passé – no well-to-do housewife wanted her home smelling of curry! Mealtimes then became what is known now as ‘meat and two veg’ – vegetables could be home grown such as potatoes and cabbage.
During this time quite a few Indian sailors abandoned ship or were dumped by their crew in some of the UK’s major ports, which included London and Cardiff. These sailors were from a part of Bangladesh called Sylhet, and they proceeded to open cafes in those areas predominantly to cater for other Asians.
They were not trained chefs but soon learned to adapt their menus to cater for British tastes. In the early years of the war they would buy bomb damaged cafes and sell not only the traditional fish & chips but also curry and rice. They also realised that by staying open late they could earn extra revenue when the pubs closed.
This is now the modern day tradition of the late night curry started.
In 1971, when Bangladesh was ravaged by war, many of its inhabitants fled to London, in particular to the East End. A great number of these went into catering and to this day the curry industry is dominated by them. It’s thought they own 65-75% of all Indian restaurants Nationwide, and their hard work has brought great success to the industry in the UK.
Robin Cook, when he was Foreign Secretary, even labelled the Chicken Tikka Masala “a true British national dish” – the dish having been adapted to suit the British palate.