India-British food link

One cannot think of the India without thinking of their diverse food variety, commonly known as the Indian Cuisine. The traditional Indian Cuisine is perhaps one of the most varied cuisines that there are in the world. Each of the various provinces of India has unique traditions and distinctive food choices. The common ingredients used for cooking in these provinces also vary besides their cooking methods and mediums.
It takes years for an Indian caterer to master the many different dishes which together make up the Indian cuisine. Besides the countless appetizers, there are vegetable dishes, lentil dishes, meat dishes and then of course there are many snacks and desserts which make up the delicious and rich Indian food.
Traditional Indian food cannot be cooked without the right and extensive use of the numerous spices. From cardamom, chillies, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander, cloves to cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron, Indian Cuisine has it all. There are many ways these spices can be used and these different ways bring out the different tastes in each of the different meals. It is not easy to learn how and how much each spice has to be used in a dish.
The traditional Indian cuisine is very different from the English cuisine that is a part of British history. However it is true that their long association in the past has led to each other's influence on both the cuisines. Now Indian food is fairly common in Britain. But is the British Indian food and traditional Indian food the same? The simple answer to this question is 'No.'
There are many reasons why British Indian food and traditional Indian food are not the same. Some of these are listed below.
• First of all, many of the traditional Indian dishes are quite hot and spicy whereas the English cuisine isn't. Therefore when Indian Cuisine became popular in Britain it had to amend itself in order to be widely acceptable with the Britons. The Indian food found in Britain is not spicy as back home.
• Most of the Indians are vegetarians which is why meat is excluded from most of the dishes. There is no such restriction in Britain and therefore many of the Indian curries which are becoming popular in Britain include chicken and other meat.
• Some of the dishes, like Chicken Tikka Masala, are entirely new Indian dishes that took birth in Britain. Because the BBQ Chicken Tikka is a popular yet spicy food in India, the Britons made a few changes to it and added a bit of gravy to it to cut down on its spice.

How indian restauruants emerged in uk

Indian food is one of the very popular choices of cuisines that can be found in respectable restaurants in the United Kingdom. All kinds of typical Indian dishes can be found in Indian restaurants there; from Mutton Quorma and Biryani to Gulab Jamun and Palak Paneer. But how did this Cuisine gain such acceptability in a land that was once not familiar with such rich spices?
Perhaps the foundation for Indian food in Britain was laid almost 4 centuries ago with the formation of the East India Company. East India Company was formed to encourage trade between Britain and Indian Subcontinent. This led to the dual exchange of cultural influences on both cuisines. The British troops and traders who went back home desired to have more of the delightful Indian food that they had tasted in India.
Seamen from Bengal who manned the British ships also played a vital role in taking the Indian Cuisine to the United Kingdom. Many of these seamen dropped out in London in search of better work opportunities; these also included cooks who used to prepare meal for the other seamen. One of the first results that came out of this travelling was the publishing of Indian recipes and the commercial distribution of the famous curry powder in the late 18th century.
History tells us that the first appearance of the Indian curry was at the different coffee houses in London. Later however an Indian entrepreneur launched the first Indian restaurant in the early 19th century. This was the first Indian coffee house in London that was meant to serve quality Indian dining experience to the nobility.
It is true that this first Indian restaurant didn't survive for more than three years, it did however set the trend and later in that century many Indian restaurants of modest nature grew in order to cater for the growing Indian community. The first proper Indian restaurant to reach great heights of popularity was built in 1926 at the Regent Street area. Chefs in this restaurant were specially hired from back home to provide authenticity to the cuisine.
In 1950s the Indian sailors introduced the 'bombed-out' chip shops and cafes where they altered the Indian curries to meet the British tastes and this is how curry and chips came into being and how the British mainly became aware of the Indian Cuisine.
Indian Cuisine has only grown in the UK since then and now shares an integral part in the UK's food industry. The birth of the Chicken Tikka Masala in the British Indian Cuisine is one example of the wide acceptance of this kind of food over there.