Will the British Tamil Community Help Overcome the Curry Crisis?
Curry was first introduced to the UK almost 200 years ago when the country’s first 'Curry House' opened its doors in 1810. Since then, curry has become the nation’s favorite food, with thousands of curry houses spread across the UK, even reaching small villages. However, the dishes served were primarily non-vegetarian, leading to a widespread perception that curry is inherently a non-veg culinary tradition.
In my book, I explore the origins of this non-veg focus, tracing it back to Robert Clive—“Clive of India”—the first Governor-General of Bengal, whose forces departed from Madras (now Chennai), the capital of Tamil state in India. As a military contingent, Clive’s troops were primarily served non-vegetarian dishes, a practice that carried over into the UK curry tradition. This historical focus on non-veg dishes left the curry industry unprepared when demand for vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based options surged in recent years.
In reality, Tamil curry, with its ancient roots, encompasses a rich variety of vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based dishes, including millets, alongside non-veg options, making it highly compatible with today’s dietary preferences.
The Portuguese arrival in Tamil regions outside the Indian subcontinent marked the beginning of a “curry renaissance.” Introducing chili and a host of New World vegetables, they transformed Tamil cuisine. However, this evolution primarily took place in northern Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the other Tamil homeland, and didn’t reach Tamil regions in southern India until both regions came under British rule after 1858. Consequently, the curry first introduced to the UK in 1810 was based on black pepper and represented a pre-chili era.
Through their colonial and trade networks, the Portuguese introduced this 'post-chili era' curry to other colonies, including Malacca (Malaysia), Macau (China), Thailand, and Japan. These adaptations also included the world’s first Tamil-Portuguese curry powder. These influences are still seen in popular dishes today, such as Thai green and red curries and Japanese curries like Wagamama’s Katsu Chicken Curry, which sells nearly 10 million servings per year in the UK. However, these offerings, too, are mostly non-veg.
The Portuguese influence didn’t stop there. Tamil words like curry, mulligatawny, poppadom, congee, rasam, and mango entered the English language through Portuguese in the 16th century—nearly a century before the establishment of the English East India Company.
The UK curry industry has been slow to adapt to the changing market and customer expectations, which now include a significant demand for vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based options. To regain customer confidence and emerge from the crisis, the industry needs to align with the full breadth of Tamil Curry’s culinary tradition, which caters to vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, and non-vegetarian preferences alike.
When curry was introduced to the UK in 1810, there were no Tamils present, nor was it directly introduced by the British. Instead, it arrived through individuals who had learned about curry secondhand from the British, making it a secondary adaptation. The 'Indian Curry' brand initially masked this limitation, but as this brand has weakened and customers today become more informed, a crisis has naturally followed.
Now, with a vibrant British Tamil community, the industry has a unique opportunity to draw upon Tamil curry’s millennia-old heritage. By collaborating with the British Tamil community, the UK curry industry can re-establish itself as a beacon of authentic, diverse, and health-conscious curry offerings, providing a much-needed pathway out of the current crisis.
With Tamil Heritage Month celebrated in January and culminating in the harvest festival of Pongal, which attracts messages from Prime Ministers and opposition leaders, and official recognition from the Greater London Authority, the British Tamil community is poised to support their traditional heritage—curry—as it faces a crisis. The community’s efforts will focus on preserving and revitalizing this cultural legacy.
The British Tamil community has grown significantly, with numerous councillors and mayors serving London Boroughs, and even a Member of Parliament elected in the last General Election.
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