India has a rich culture of food throughout the sub continent – dishes take influence from many things as you move through the country. Factors like climate, soil and the ethnic diversity of the of the different regions all add flavours to the dishes you will taste.
History plays a part in the story of the food you eat; invasion, trade routes and colonialism have all played a part. The trade routes brought development of the spice trade, new vegetables came from South America like potatoes, tomatoes, chillies and guava. They have now become staples of the diet throughout India.
Indian dishes are most definitely not just ‘curry’ and reducing such a diverse cuisine to a single word is not taken well. The most popular dish ordered in the UK is ‘chicken tikka masala’ , which in fact was invented in Britain by chefs that arrived here in the 1960s.
Likewise, Korma does not mean mild and creamy but slowly cooked, the dish can be hot or mild. The true korma developed in the Moghul courts from the 10th century onwards.
Then there is Bombay Duck itself, which has to be one of the ugliest fish that is pulled from our oceans. It is also called bummalo and as you might have guessed… it is not a duck at all. It is in fact a small fish from India and Bangladesh. The fish are landed then hung on racks on the beach to dry in the sun.
So all that is left to say is ‘Bon Appetit’ or (in hindi): Bhojan ke praranabh men jane vala abhivadan.
