Food From our Masters

India experienced globalization much before the word was even coined and made a part of the English dictionary. Due to our lack of cohesion and unity, we were trampled over by many dynasties and races. Notable amongst them, the Persians, the Uzbeks, Portuguese, Afghans and the British. The British were the worst amongst the lot. Most came here for our wealth and a rich reservoir of spices. However, we have to thank them for shaping our culinary history and determining the food we eat and love today.

Not only the dishes, but also a large varieties of the vegetables we eat today have been imports which were not known; let alone grown in India prior to foreign rule. Imagine Indian cooking without tomatoes? Hard, right? No butter chicken, dal makhni etc. It would certainly be a dark and depressing world without it. We have the Portuguese to thank for making the base of all our cuisines from the North to the South. Potatoes also, were introduced by the Portuguese. Frankly, I love the Portuguese for this. Anyone who has read my previous posts would know about my love for potatoes. Onion, garlic, cauliflower, okra, bitter gourd, all introduced by the foreign rulers. This makes me wonder, what did we eat before this? Rocks, mud, leaves?

We ruled the roost as far as spices were concerned, but the essential spices in our food? Fenugreek, coriander and chilli peppers came from Iraq, North Africa and Latin America(possibly) respectively. I will repeat what I said earlier, can we imagine what we ate before these spices? Mirchi, Dhania (powder as well as fresh) and Methi are as integral a part of Indian cuisine as salt and sugar. You love apples? They came from Kazakhstan, most probably imported by the Mughals. Water Melon was bought in donkey-loads by Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India. Oranges? The Portuguese are at it again.

Now, this was only the raw food. The cooked items have been tremendously influenced by the rulers. Do you love the stews found in North and South India? Influenced from the Middle East. In fact, the mutton stew that we all love is a spicier version of the Iranian 'Istu'. Biryani? Middle East again though it has been adapted and modified brilliantly in the different regions of India. Quorma? Middle East. The kofta, in all it's shapes and sizes resembles the Persian dish of Kufteh Tabrizi named after the city Tabrizi in Azerbaijan. Roasting meat on skewers also seems to be a habit influenced from the Middle East. Many of you will be surprised to know that the Jalebis originated in Jordan. Though it was served as one big desert. Almost the same size as a cake.

The British have relatively less influence on our food, surprising, considering the fact that they ruled us for a long time. But, probably because they were more interested in exporting than importing. If I was British, I would be writing an article about how Indian food has influenced British cuisine. Mulligatwany soup is probably the most famous food item that has been born out of British influence. They have influenced our bakery system though. Most of the traditional bakeries running in the hill stations, according to me, have been influenced by traditional British bakeries. The hill stations used to be summer vacation resorts for the British and they probably wanted the same tea and scones experience that they had in the good ol' Blighty.

So curse the invaders, lament the fact that we were run over and plundered by them, but thank them for the culinary heritage that they left behind!