A BRIEF HISTORY OF ANGLO-INDIAN CUISINE

Anglo-Indian Community can be trace back to as early as the 16 th century i.e. to the advent of the Europeans into India . The Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, French etc. came to India to trade in spices. Towards the later half of the 18 th century, the British made their presence felt with the establishment of the East India Company.

Company.



As a result of the inter-mingling and inter-marrying of thevarious European races, a new multi-culturaland multi-racial community evolved over many centuries, which later came to be known as the Anglo-Indian Community. The Anglo-Indians are a unique race of people, who, by combining both European and Indian Cultures have evolved a distinctive culture of their own. They have their own special taste in food, which is a direct reflection of their multi-racial and hybrid heritage. In Anglo-Indian Cuisine the spicy “ Indian Curry” is given as much importance as the bland “ English Roasts”. Anglo-Indian Cuisine has taken the best of both European and Indian Cuisine and altered it by adding or substituting some of the ingredients so that a completely different cuisine was evolved over hundreds of years. The very popular Vindaloo, Beveca and Dodol are legacies of the Portugese, while the Roasts, Bakes, Bacon and Eggs are typically British. Many of the dishes have rhyming alliterative names like Dodol, kalkal, Ding- Ding, Pish-Pash etc. The very nomenclature of the dishes is unique and original, and synonymous only to the Anglo-Indian Community. The normally bland western cuisine was given a dash of exotic Indian Flavour. Thus a completely new contemporary cuisine came into existence making it truly “Anglo” and “Indian” in nature, which was neither too bland nor too spicy, but with a distinctive flavour of its own. It became a direct reflection of the multi-cultural and hybrid heritage of the new colonial population.

The Word “GASTRONOMY” means “THE ART OF GOOD EATING” and this is very true of Anglo-Indian cuisine, which is an ART IN ITSELF.

