• Margaret Studer is the director of the Upper Skagit Library. She can be reached at 360-853-7939 or .

Title: “Curry: A Tale Of Cooks And Conquerors”
Author: Lizzie Collingham
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Pages: 315
Price: $28


The Slow Food Movement, which advocates using locally produced food, has garnered a following in Skagit County. It’s fortunate that the same movement wasn’t in vogue in India in the 17th century or we would not be enjoying the rich and varied Indian cuisine that we are now so familiar with. As Lizzie Collingham explains in “Curry: A Tale Of Cooks And Conquerors,” nearly every well-known Indian dish is the product of a long history of invasion and the fusion of different food traditions.

Educated in England, Collingham’s research led her throughout the Indian subcontinent defined now as Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. On these travels, she was struck by the difference between the Indian food she had known in England and that which she enjoyed in the countries she visited.

What was lost in the culinary translation and why? Collingham explores the histories of many dishes familiar to habitués of Indian restaurants: chicken tikka masala, biryani, vindaloo, korma and, of course, curries. She traces their culinary roots, discovery or invention by Europeans and the various ways in which they traveled back to Britain and around the world. This scholarly work, peppered with quotes from primary sources as old as the 15th century, manages to whet the reader’s appetite with descriptions of richly spiced foods. Each chapter in the book focuses on a different Indian dish and ends with recipes — some authentic and others modernized to fit current ingredients and cooking practices. 

The real strength of the book isn’t so much in the food (roasted black rat anyone?) as in identifying the forces that define cuisine and culture, including politics, religion and geography. Those in power have the greatest influence on all aspects of life, including food and its preparation methods.

It’s difficult for Westerners to imagine Indian cooking without that blast of heat from the chili pepper. Yet no Indian had ever seen a chili before the Portuguese arrived with their great ships at the beginning of the 15th century. The Portuguese realized early that to build a colonial empire, they had to control integral trade routes, and India was strategically important to their success. After Columbus’ voyage, many new ingredients found their way to India from the Americas via Portugal, including potatoes, maize, cashew nuts and tomatoes — all the basic foods that are now familiar in Indian cuisine.

The majority of this book is devoted to Britain and its relationship with India. With its invasion of India, Britain brought all the comfort foods of its homeland — porridges, puddings, sausages, roasts, jams, and cakes. The Brits scorned the local cuisine and required that their native servants prepare their own kind of foods for them, which they did, but in their own unique style. Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, garlic and turmeric gradually began to spice the bland British stews. Thus, curry, which had been exceptionally regional in flavor, became “dumbed down” to suit the British palate. Its popularity spread wherever the British ruled.

For readers comfortable with history told as a chronological tale, this book will not be satisfying. Its dish-by-dish chapter organization at times jumbles the history aspect. But pull out the spices and start cooking one of the luscious recipes, and you will have all the history you need for one meal. 

 

For more books about the Indian subcontinent or Indian cookbooks, stop by your Skagit Library.