Book description
This imaginative book tells the history of India and its rulers
through their food. It follows the story of curry as it spread from
the courts of Delhi to the balti houses of Birmingham.
Curry is the product of India's long history of invasion. In the
wake of the Mughal conquerors, an army of cooks brought Persian
recipes to northern India; in the south, Portugese spice merchants
introduced vinegar marinades and the chillies they had recently
discovered in the New World; the British soon followed, with their
passion for roast meat accompanied by cauliflowers and beans. When
these new ingredients were mixed with native spices, they produced
those disinctly Inidan dishes.
Curry tells the story of an array of familar Indian dishes and the
people who invented, discovered, cooked and ate them. Teeming with
colourful characters, rich in anecdote and meticulously researched,
Curry is vivid, entertaining and delicious.
Lizzie Collingham taught history at the University of Warwick before
becoming a Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge. She is the
author of
Imperial Bodies: the physical experience of the Raj, c.
1800 - 1947
. Now a freelance scholar and writer, she has lived in Sweden, Germany,
Australia and France, but is still looking for a place to settle.
