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Author Topic: what curry is it  (read 4,019 times)

AI Summary
The discussion revolves around a user's quest to understand the origins of various curries, particularly those found in British Indian Restaurants (BIR), and how they relate to authentic dishes from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Participants recommend resources, including a specific book titled "Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors" by Lizzie Collingham, which provides historical context and maps related to curry's evolution. The user expresses satisfaction with the book, noting a personal connection to the origins of their favorite dish, Syhleti (garlic chicken), which ties back to Bangladeshi sailors.

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Offline JerryM

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what curry is it
« on: May 27, 2008, 12:21 PM »
it's sort of been dawning on me that while i know exactly what i like in terms of curries having lived BIR for many years - i don't know what "tag" they have (not knowing a better word) - i guess where the authentic dishes originate from which the BIR dishes have evolved from.

i know there are the countries of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh but i guess that's only the start.

madras is fairly simple i presume originating from the madras province in India.

is there any good books, sites to read up on this - i guess what i'm after is from reading a BIR menu i can instantly recognise where or how it originated.

hope this makes sense.
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Offline Unclebuck

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Re: what curry is it
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2008, 03:43 PM »
Quote from: JerryM on May 27, 2008, 12:21 PM
it's sort of been dawning on me that while i know exactly what i like in terms of curries having lived BIR for many years - i don't know what "tag" they have (not knowing a better word) - i guess where the authentic dishes originate from which the BIR dishes have evolved from.

i know there are the countries of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh but i guess that's only the start.

madras is fairly simple i presume originating from the madras province in India.

is there any good books, sites to read up on this - i guess what i'm after is from reading a BIR menu i can instantly recognise where or how it originated.

hope this makes sense.


Are you looking for something like this JM? click pic. UB  :)


UNCLEBUCK:)

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Offline JerryM

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Re: what curry is it
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2008, 06:20 PM »
thanks UB - it is on the right lines ie "Dhansak origins Parsee (Middle Eastern, Persia)"

the trouble is the origins are not given for all - but a good start.

what i'm trying to do is to pin down the origin and then compare the associated spice mix - hoping to learn if there are categories of spice mix and why they match so well or not.

best wishes
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Offline tonymexico

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Re: what curry is it
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2008, 11:32 PM »
Hi jerry, you could try "Curry: A tale of cooks and conquerors" by Lizzie Collingham which you should be able to find at Amazon. This maybe just what you are after as it lists the history both in India and the parallel dishes as they developed in Britain. The book also contains maps and historical references
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Offline JerryM

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Re: what curry is it
« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2008, 07:42 AM »
Tony,

many thanks, have ordered it this morning (from amazon).

it looks just what i need. i was not making any progress so just the lift i needed.

best wishes.
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Offline JerryM

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Re: what curry is it
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2008, 08:27 AM »
Tony,

finished the book - it's quite a long and winding journey - v.good for taking on hols.

it's quite ironic for me personally as my fav curry is syhleti (garlic chicken) and chapter 9 explains how effectively the vast majority of BIR restaurants descended from syhleti sailors originating from Bangladesh (also my fav T/A).

many thanks
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