The UK’s Love Affair with the Great Indian Curry
Did you know that the very first Indian restaurant ever to do business in the UK was the Veeraswamy, opened in the 1920’s? Established by Anglo-Indian Edward Palmer and showcased at the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, it proved to be so popular that he promptly moved it to Regent Street where it continued to serve a steady stream of satisfied diners, and still does, to this day.
With the popularity of the Veeraswamy, others began to explore Indian cuisine, telling the romantic tale of the United Kingdoms love affair with the great Indian curry!
The UK’s first curry houses:
When the Second World broke out in 1939, a total of six Indian restaurants were in existence in Britain, and as more Indians began to arrive in London following the end of the war, more restaurants were created to help meet the growing demand for Indian cuisine.
Many migrant workers set up small cafes and canteens to help feed those living within their own communities, but once British citizens had satisfied their curiosity by dabbling in the spicy, exotic food too, there became a new and growing demand for the food that was apparently, spicing up their dull, rationed, post war lives!
Popular Indian dishes and the growth of the curry house:
Ever since migrants living in London first created a series of small cafes to help satisfy their need for homely fare from their native land, British people also began hankering for the spicy delights coined as ‘curry’, and became nothing short of obsessed with dishes such as Chicken Tikka Masala (in actuality, a British creation!), Bombay potatoes, Naan Bread and Lamb Pasanda. And before anyone objects to the spelling of the dishes mentioned, some of them are spelled differently from region to region!
From just 6 Indian restaurants back in 1939, to a not insignificant increase to 3,500 by 1982, it was clear that the British love affair with Indian cuisine had begun in earnest, and many described it as a marriage made in heaven!
Current figures show that there are 12,000 curry houses in existence in the UK, with the majority of them run by migrants of Bangladeshi descent, and that there are more Indian restaurants in London than in Mumbai or Delhi!
Why was Indian cuisine so popular in the UK?
Relatively cheap, tasty and mildly addictive, UK citizens began to enjoy Indian cuisine as a change from their usual diet, and began altering (and in some cases, even inventing) dishes to better suit their more sensitive palates. Many of these dishes wouldn’t be recognizable in India, such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Vindaloo, Jalfrezi or Madras curry, although many are now familiar with them thanks to British companies exporting them in the 1990’s.
Even the word ‘curry’ has no origin in India or with any of its neighbours; coined by the British who were living in India at the time, it has no direct translation into any of the sub-continents 15 or more languages.
If you’re an Indian person living in the UK, or were born there but have Indian heritage, then it’s a given that you’ll crave the food of your homeland, and thankfully there are an abundance of good shops and online stores from which you can purchase authentic produce and ingredients from India to satisfy your cravings.
