Anglo-Indian Cuisine | The Best of East Meets West

Rudyard Kipling probably didn't have dinner on his mind when he proclaimed, "East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet". However, long before 'fusion food' became trendy, Colonial taste buds collided with Indian palates to form a unique, niche cuisine that blended the best of both Eastern and Western worlds. And thus, evolved 'Anglo-Indian cuisine'. 

But first, a quick travel back in time to understand how this all came to be. 

Parts of the Indian sub-continent had been under European Colonial rule beginning in the 1400s through the 1960s.

The Portuguese, Dutch, French and British had colonies in India at various and often overlapping times during this period. Tea, spices, cotton, gold and other precious commodities from India were the draw for these countries, who established trading posts in India and traded these commodities with the rest of the world. 

 

 

Over the span of five hundred years, it was impossible for Eastern and Western cultures not to influence one another.  The product of an inter-mingling and blending of Eastern and Western race and culture resulted in  a unique, ethnic minority called Anglo-Indians.

As the name suggests, people of mixed British/ European ancestry and Indian ancestry were called Anglo-Indians, sometimes referred to as Eurasians. 

An ethnic, minority group in India, they are distinctly characterized by their Christian religion, English  mother tongue and their western cultural leanings (with an Indian twist) in music, dance, dress, eating habits, etiquette and of course, food. 

Anglo Indian Cuisine

Anglo Indian food is a fusion of traditional, mellow continental dishes empowered with Indian spices to produce robust flavors that explode on the palate. The fragrant spices of pepper, cardamon, cinnamon and cloves along with fresh, zesty, ginger, garlic, fresh coriander and green chilies are the essence of many Anglo-Indian recipes. For instance, a traditional roast chicken would be dressed up with cinnamon, clove and pepper powder to release mouth watering aromas that the likes of people on the Continent had never experienced before. Cumin, saffron, turmeric, red chilies, along with tamarind and coconut are other elements that were embodied in Anglo-Indian cooking to create thick, rich colorful gravies and curries.

Certain Anglo-Indian dishes lean more toward Portuguese cuisine such as Vindaloo, an adaptation of the Portuguese dish 'carne de vinha d'alhos'. This literally means meat in wine and garlic, but of course prepared with Indian spices of red chilies, cloves and vinegar to make a spicy, tangy, mouth watering meat dish prevalent during Christmas, weddings and other celebrations.

Then there are other Anglo-Indian dishes inspired by the kitchens and pantries of England. Roast Beef and Potatoes, Roast Chicken and Stuffing, hearty stews, puffs, pasties and pies, soups and gravies, cakes and puddings. But, all these dishes have a distinct Indian stamp on them; always with the addition of some unmistakable Indian spice or flavoring, traditional to India.

Traditional Anglo-Indian food is difficult fare to find at a restaurant. Most popular 'Indian Food' that is served at restaurants, both in India and around the world, are foods inspired by the 'North Western Frontier', with Mughlai and Afghan influence- tandoori, naans, butter chicken, palak paneer, dal makhani are dishes that most people are familiar with.

But if you want to dig deeper and explore one of India's less pervasive, but equally rich ethnic cuisines, then Anglo-Indian food is a hidden gem that will not disappoint.

Ball curry and Coconut rice, Cutlets, Potato Chops, Green Masala Pork chops, Tongue Vindaloo, Liver Fry, Mulligatawny Soup, Trotters and Oxtail Stew  are just a few of the the recipes that will melt in your mouth and take you back to a bygone era.

Check out my favorite Anglo Indian recipes by clicking the links below:

Anglo Indian Curries

• Ball Curry - Bad Word Curry!
• Chicken Vindaloo- No! You Will Not Be Running to the Loo
  
• Crab Curry- A Clawsome Recipe
  
• Green Masala Pork Chops- How Can You Have Your Pudding, If You Don't Eat Your Meat
  
• Oxtail Vindaloo Curry- So Swish!
• Railway Mutton Curry- Anglo Indian Express, All Aboard!

Anglo Indian Stews

• Chicken Meatball and Macaroni Stew- Have More, My Girl!
  
• Kerala Mutton Stew (Ishtoo) with coconut milk- If Only The Walls in Fort Cochin Could Talk
  

Anglo Indian Dry Dishes

• Dry Prawn Fry (Unakka Chemeen)- From God's Own Country
• Radish Foogath (Mullangi Poriyal)- Some Children 'Ave 'Em
  
• Roast Chicken- It's No Christmas Without the Chicken
  
• Salt Beef - I Say, How About Some Salt Beef Sandwiches, Ol' Chap?
  
• Stuffing for Roast Chicken- And There Better be Stuffing Or Somebody's Gonna Get Hurt Real Bad

Anglo Indian Rice Dishes

• Coconut Yellow Rice- A Bloody Good Rice
  
• Madras Chicken Biryani (with homemade masala)- Put More, Da!
  
• Saffron Yellow Rice- Sunny Rice for Sonny Boy

Anglo Indian Sweets

• Caramel (Burnt Sugar)- For Cooks who Excel at Burning Things
• Caraway Seed Cake- Downton Abbey or Downtown Alleppey
• Christmas Plum Cake- From My Granny's Recipe Trove
  
• Coconut Macaroons (only 4 ingredients)
• Coconut Panrolls- For Shrove Tuesday & All Other Days of the Week
  
• Hot Cross Buns - I Must Confess, My Buns Are Pretty Hot
  
• Marzipan- And They Said Diamonds Were A Girl's Best Friend
  
• Memsahib's Mess- My Expertise
• Sweet Fried Kerala Banana/ Nendran Banana

References:

• Kipling Society
• Recipes of Hybrid Identity: Anglo-Indian Food Culture and Ethnicity
  in Allan Sealy’s The Trotter Nama | V. P. Anvar Sadath
• Artwork- Murals by Denise Duong, Fort Cochin, Kerala, India.

Suggested readings:

The Browning of the Raj by Maddy's Blog