British Curries

British curry dishes are not like other dishes. They are a unique blend of Indian and English influences and have been popular for centuries. The first London  Indian Curry House opened in 1809. It was called the Hindostanee Coffee house and was the first restaurant specifically dedicated to serving Indian food.

However old British cookbooks how that British curries were being enjoyed as long ago as 1747.  Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery, published way back then has many recipes for curries and rice pilaus.

The main difference between real Indian curries and British curries was that they tended to be a great deal milder.  Indian food is also made with fresh spices whereas the British curries were made with dried spices.  Yet another difference is that a true Indian curry tends to be sourer in flavour, thanks to the fact that a lot of tomatoe and vinegar are used in the recipes. By contrast British curries are a lot sweeter.

In the 18^th century they were made mainly with coriander seeds, salt and peppercorns. In the 19^th century cayenne, turmeric, cumin and fenugreek seeds were added to the mix.  These mixtures of ground spices, that are often blended with water or vinegar or water are known as masalas.  True masalas are not creamy but often British cooks add yogurt, milk or other elements to turn the curry into a dish that has savory gravy.

Chicken tikka masala is an example of a dish that is quite sour in Indian cuisine but quite sweet when made in Britian. In recent years British curries have also become more vegetarian. There is more cooking with lentils, potatoes, paneer, spinach and peas. This makes the cuisine a little more similar to the Punjabi style of spicy cuisine in Indian that uses beans and pulses.

If food was hot, then the British referred to it as a curry. Technically many different types of curries existed including Biryani, vindaloo and Tikki.

One of the reasons that curries became so popular in Britain is because it was a favourite food of Queen Victoria. She had an Indian staff who cooked Indian food every single day.

Today curry and chips is one of the most popular dishes in Britain. Many of these small shops were opened by Indian sailors who jumped ship at major ports in London and Cardiff.  This is how the ritual of enjoying the post-pub curry came about.

Even more curry restaurants came into being after 1971 when thousands of Bangladeshis immigrated to London’s East End.  Many of these families still run London’s top curry restaurant hot spots today.