The Legacy of Indian Cuisine Today
So, racist attitudes - sort of - helped the popularity of Indian cuisine in Britain. I did say it was a love-hate relationship. If we fast-forward from the 1990s to the present, we can begin to question whether Indian food is a genuine celebration of multiculturalism.
Seemingly, it’s becoming one. The cuisine is slowly peeling away from the old stereotypes, instead gaining recognition for its authentic brilliance. I say this due to the common consensus among British and British-Indian celebrity chefs, that Indian food is so much more than a sweaty lamb pasanda with basmati rice. Also, there is a huge demand for ‘typically’ Indian products by the British public, with chai teas, chutneys, flat breads, sweets, and spices widely available in national supermarkets. The idea that Indian houses smell of Whitby Cod, and White households wreak of Patak’s fenugreek paste - if that’s not a multicultural Britain I don’t know what is.
The changing nature of restaurants is also quite interesting. Affordable but authentic Indian eateries that bring traditional Desi food to all classes and colours are emerging rapidly. Perhaps Indian restaurants’ car parks will be lined with Volkswagen Golfs and BMWs rather than the Bentleys of the 1930s or the delivery scooters of the 1990s? Of course, there are still salmonella ridden Balti houses, small intestine scorching tandooris and infamous Indian boozers, but they’re a dying breed – think of it as an aging Kajol Devgan giving her ‘Queen of Bollywood’ title to the more versatile, relatable and younger Sara Ali Khan.
Is Indian food an example of a multicultural Britain? Have racist attitudes really gone? If the UK’s love of Indian cuisine was built on racist attitudes, can Indian food genuinely represent modern British multiculturalism?