Indian Cuisine - a Cultural Journey
The culture of Indian cuisine is rooted squarely in the continent's diverse, multi-cultural and rich history. Key events and influences from India's past have helped shape one of the most well-known, loved and diverse styles of cuisine in the world today.
Historically, invasions from Central Asia and Persia (amongst others) introduced exotic ingredients and cooking styles into the mix - broadening an already diverse culinary landscape. Traders further diversified tastes through the introduction of new world vegetables (tomato, potato etc.).
Indian food experienced unprecedented growth in popularity during the late 20th century - now one of the world's most popular types of cuisine. An early fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine forged an exciting and unique culinary path that would alter the future of the industry. This ‘curry-boom' established itself first in European countries such as Britain in the 1960s, before crossing the Atlantic towards the US. Figures reflect that there are now 8000 Indian Restaurants in Britain alone, with an annual turnover in excess of £2 billion (Lloyd, J & Mitchinson, J: "The Book of General Ignorance". Faber & Faber, 2006). Changes in immigration laws in the US quickly lead to a huge surge in the popularity of Indian food, with the majority of major cities now supporting a thriving restaurant community.
This ‘westernisation' has been key to the growth of the industry. The spread of Indian restaurants to Britain and the US paved the way for home-grown Indian chefs to make their mark - reflected in the rise of worldwide celebrity chefs such as Tarla Dalal and Madhur Jaffrey.
Tarla is now India's best selling cookery author, with a significant worldwide following. Her books have sold in excess of 3 million copies worldwide (www.tarladalal.com) and been translated into numerous languages. Over one third of the Indian population are vegetarian - Tarla's first book ‘The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking' (1974) - became an instant hit and catapulted her to fame.
Madhur's success story follows a similar theme. Her accessible, back-to-basics approach to Indian food has made her a worldwide celebrity - both as an author and TV presenter. Madhur came to Britain originally to study Drama. Her rise to fame as a chef came rather indirectly. Missing her native food, she asked her mother back home to send her simple recipes, from which she learnt to cook staple Indian dishes. She was encouraged by peers to write a cookery book - perhaps seeing the gap in the market in Britain, who had already by the 1980s developed a love of Indian food with the rapid spread of Indian restaurants nationwide. Madhur went on to present several hugely successful series on the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) ad the rest, as they say, is history. Madhur is generally acknowledged as having the single most wide-ranging influence on the British and their understanding of Indian cuisine. Much of this success can be attributed to her uncomplicated, warm and encouraging approach to cooking Indian food.
It is this same quiet humility that has helped the shape the global landscape of Indian cuisine as it stands today, transforming a truly cosmopolitan phenomenon into the world's most popular food.
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