Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors (Google eBook)

Lizzie Collingham

Oxford University Press, Feb 6, 2006 - Cooking - 352 pages

Curry serves up a delectable history of Indian cuisine, ranging from the imperial kitchen of the Mughal invader Babur to the smoky cookhouse of the British Raj. In this fascinating volume, the first authoritative history of Indian food, Lizzie Collingham reveals that almost every well-known Indian dish is the product of a long history of invasion and the fusion of different food traditions. We see how, with the arrival of Portuguese explorers and the Mughal horde, the cooking styles and ingredients of central Asia, Persia, and Europe came to the subcontinent, where over the next four centuries they mixed with traditional Indian food to produce the popular cuisine that we know today. Portuguese spice merchants, for example, introduced vinegar marinades and the British contributed their passion for roast meat. When these new ingredients were mixed with native spices such as cardamom and black pepper, they gave birth to such popular dishes as biryani, jalfrezi, and vindaloo. In fact, vindaloo is an adaptation of the Portuguese dish "carne de vinho e alhos-"-the name "vindaloo" a garbled pronunciation of "vinho e alhos"--and even "curry" comes from the Portuguese pronunciation of an Indian word. Finally, Collingham describes how Indian food has spread around the world, from the curry houses of London to the railway stands of Tokyo, where "karee raisu" (curry rice) is a favorite Japanese comfort food. We even visit Madras Mahal, the first Kosher Indian restaurant, in Manhattan. Richly spiced with colorful anecdotes and curious historical facts, and attractively designed with 34 illustrations, 5 maps, and numerous recipes, Curry is vivid, entertaining, and delicious--a feast for food lovers everywhere.

What people are saying

Review: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

User Review  - Bruce - Goodreads

A thoroughly enjoyable book about Indian food. This 'tale' of cooks and conquerors is a history of what one could call fusion cuisine. Cultures that 'sort of' conquered others did not impose their ...

Review: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

User Review  - Scott - Goodreads

A clever history of India, British colonialism, and international trade told through ginger, cardamom, and other spices. Very informative and entertaining. A few good recipes thrown in to boot!

Contents

• The Quest for an Authentic Indian Meal: 1
• The Great Mughals: 13
• The Portuguese and the Chilli Pepper: 47
• East India Company Merchants Temples and the Nawabs of Lucknow: 81
• The British Invention of Curry: 107
• Bringing India to Britain: 129
• British Food in India: 157
• The Great Tea Campaign: 187
• Syhleti Sailors and Indian Takeaways: 215
• 10 Curry Travels the World: 245
• GLOSSARY: 259
• NOTES: 263
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 284
• INDEX: 306

About the author

Lizzie Collingham, a Cambridge-trained historian, is a free-lance scholar and writer. She is the author of Imperial Bodies: The Physical Experience of the Raj.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors
• Author: Lizzie Collingham
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2006
• ISBN: 0199883815, 9780199883813
• Length: 352 pages
• Subjects: Cooking / History; Cooking / Regional & Ethnic / Indian & South Asian