Origins of Indian foods, and the Apple Mac| #89
The women who shaped the Indian Constitution ➡️
Hello 👋🏽
“Some foods are so comforting, so nourishing of body and soul, that to eat them is to be home again after a long journey” - Eli Brown, author
Who doesn’t love food? A bowl of hot noodle soup or a plate of biryani always hits the right spot. But what if we told you that some of our favourite Indian foods aren't originally from India but from other parts of the globe? This week's newsletter is about famous Desi dishes that aren't quite as Indian as you thought.
Warning: May cause food cravings.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
Samosa - The much loved samosa comes from the Middle East, introduced into the sub-continent by traders from Central Asia during the 14th century. Amir Khusro, the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate, wrote in around 1300 CE that the princes and nobles enjoyed the "samosa prepared from meat, ghee, onion, and so on". Some mo’ samosa as we always say.
Rajma Chawal - The ultimate comfort food for many Indians - rajma chawal, isn't originally Indian. As food historian KT Achaya points out, the rajma bean came from South America. He postulates the French brought the bean to India as they had started using it in cassoulet and pretended that it was an ancient French ingredient. The British were the ones who planted early varieties of rajma in Punjab, which might explain why the dhabas there serve the BEST rajma chawal.
Chicken Tikka Masala - Like with most dishes, this origins of this are disputed. The general consensus is that chicken tikka masala was invented by South Asian chefs in Britain the 1960’s. There’s one origin theory that attributes the invention to Chef Ali Ahmed in Glasgow in 70s. He put together tomato soup and chicken curry to please a customer and this dish took the Scottish city by storm. Rahul Verma, food critic of The Hindu claims that he first tasted the food in Punjab in the early 1970’s. There’s only one way to solve this debate - Tikka utsav
Gulab Jamun - Every meal ends with something sweet. In The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin, culinary historian Michael Krondl writes about how Persian invaders brought with them a “round fritter that eventually became gulab jamun (gulab comes from the Persian word for rose, while jamun refers to a local fruit).” There’s also another theory that traces the dish’s origin to the popular Arabic dessert luqmat al qadi, which consists of deep fried dough balls dipped in honey and sprinkled with sugar. The batter, though, is different from the Indian version. Interestingly, the name luqmat al qadi literally translates to “the judge’s morsel” — the sweet is considered delicious enough to sway the opinion of a judge!
IWTK Recommendations 💌
On the occasion of Republic Day, let’s remember the women who shaped the Indian Constitution.
Speaking of food, here’s a slice of Apple history. Who do you think the father of the Macintosh is? You might be surprised with the answer
Throwback Time ☎️
In case you didn’t know, India Wants To Know started off as a humble YouTube panel quiz show. Here’s a little throwback with our ‘Food’ episode.
(Don’t forget to binge the other episodes!)
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