Britain's Love of Curry + Super Easy Coconut Curry Recipe

Curry is a complex dish that can trace it's origins to Eastern and Southern Asia.  And using spices, herbs, and chilies, curry is a very robust and flavorful dish, one that is extremely popular all over Britain.  Featured as either dry or wet, curry is cooked utilizing a variety of techniques depending upon who is making the dish. But where did Britain's love of curry come from?

Curry can, in some form, trace it's roots back in ancient history, "Archaeological evidence dating to 2600 BCE from Mohenjo-daro suggests the use of mortar and pestle to pound spices including mustard, fennel, cumin, and tamarind pods with which they flavoured food. Such dishes are also recorded during the Vedic Period of Indian history, roughly 1700 to 500 BCE" (Wikipedia).  So, when and how did curry become so intertwined in the British landscape?  

Coat of Arms of The East India Trading Company (Wiki Picture)

According to 'Go For An English, website' "When the British first established trading posts in India in the mid 17th century they were simply trading partners. The food eaten by the employees of the East India Company would have been largely the same as the food eaten by the local Indian population. And there appears to have been plenty of choice; one East India Company employee wrote in 1759 "The currees are infinitely various". By the time the British had become the colonial rulers of India in the mid 1800's there had been a huge influx of British nationals into India to administer British affairs. The British colonials were by now eating predominantly British-style food although they found that they had to adapt to local conditions and use local produce. Numerous books were written to help newly arrived young British wives advising them how and what to cook and how to manage a household in India" (goforanenglish). 

Due to large demand for the new dish, back home in the British empire, but the lack of ingredients needed to reproduce the curries found within the colony of India, a curry powder, which could be transported easily, became the 'go-to' staple for much of the British curries in the late colonial and up into the Victorian era.  Mrs. Beeton's Victorian book of Household Management, which wiggled it's way into many a households and kitchens had a prized recipe for curry beef using the powder (MrsBeetonHousehold):

CURRIED BEEF (Cold Meat Cookery).

620. INGREDIENTS – A few slices of tolerably lean cold roast or boiled beef, 3 oz. of butter, 2 onions, 1 wineglassful of beer, 1 dessertspoonful of curry powder.

Mode.—Cut up the beef into pieces about 1 inch square, put the butter into a stewpan with the onions sliced, and fry them of a lightly-brown colour. Add all the other ingredients, and stir gently over a brisk fire for about 10 minutes. Should this be thought too dry, more beer, or a spoonful or two of gravy or water, may be added; but a good curry should not be very thin. Place it in a deep dish, with an edging of dry boiled rice, in the same manner as for other curries.

Time.—10 minutes. Average cost, exclusive of the meat, 4d.

Seasonable in winter.

Curry was just about everywhere in Britain, including at the table of Queen Victoria, "Kitchen archives at the Queen’s favourite residence, Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, reveal that curries featured on the menu every Sunday during lunchtime. “Had some excellent curry, prepared by one of my Indian servants,” the Queen remarked in her diary later that summer" (Revealed).  

Queen Victoria with Family (note the Indian servants behind)

With the influx of Britain's going to and from India, as well as the influx of Indian's arriving in Britain and soon opening restaurants and becoming chefs and cooks, it is no large surprise that curry became an integral dish of Britain. 

Wiki Picture

Sake Dean Mahomed by Thomas Mann Baynes (c. 1810) Wiki Picture

And it has remained an integral part of the British food scene ever since, "Almost 200 years before the Indian restaurant became a fixture on the British high street, [Sake Dean] Mahomed, a Muslim soldier, founded the first curry establishment in Britain, the Hindoostane Coffee House in Portman Square, London. It gave the gentry of Georgian England their first taste of spicy dishes. Two centuries later, the British are still in love with dishes flavoured with cumin, coriander, ginger, fenugreek, cayenne pepper and caraway. We spend an extraordinary £2.5bn in Indian restaurants every year. Around 80 per cent of "Indian" restaurants are actually owned by Bangladeshis, and their cuisine derives not just from India but Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. And curry describes not just one dish, but a meal and the cooking of an entire subcontinent" (Independent).  

In keeping with our curry theme, I present an easy (and I mean EASY) coconut curry recipe.  All ingredients are from Trader Joe's.

 Ingredients:
1 Can Coconut Cream (you'll only need 1/2)
1 Jar Thai Red Curry Sauce
1 Package of Rice (the box comes with 3, just use 1 packet)
1/2 an onion, chopped
Salt and pepper, optional
1 package of garlic naan bread
1 package of chicken, 2 lbs or thereabouts, cubed
Pat of butter or olive oil for frying

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 (or whatever your naan bread directions say).  Shake a little pepper over the cubed chicken.  Fry the chicken in butter or olive oil, when nearly cooked, toss in onions and cook until translucent. Cook rice per package directions. Toss rice, 1/2 can of coconut cream, and 1 jar of Thai Red Curry Sauce in the pan.  Mix well and bring the curry sauce to boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.  Put naan bread in the preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes. Once done, serve and enjoy.  Super easy and feeds 3-4 (ingredients can be doubled as needed).

Curry simmering away.

Curry always smells so delicious and it is truly one of my favorite dishes to make.  Of course, I always plan to make an elaborate curry but, like everyone else, time slips away from me and in the end I use Trader Joe's ingredients and to be honest, it's just as tasty! Plus, knowing that Queen Victoria had her own love of curry makes me smile even more.
It warms my little Anglophile heart...
XOXO,
TheHistoryGirl

Sources: 

http://www.goforanenglish.com/oldenglish/curry.html

http://www.mrsbeeton.com/13-chapter13.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Karim_(the_Munshi)

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-revealed-queen-victorias-secret-love-for-her-indian-servant-1679137

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sake-dean-mahomed-the-man-who-opened-britains-first-curry-house-nearly-200-yars-ago-509028.html

(And many more than are linked within the blog post). 

The Scullery Maid of Victorian England

“In great houses, scullery maids were the lowest-ranked and often the youngest of the female servants and acted as assistant to a kitchen maid” (Wikipedia). 

(Oil painting of a scullery maid by Jean-Siméon Chardin)

The Scullery Maid of Victorian England. 

In Mrs. Beeton’s 1861 Victorian house manual, The Book of Household Management, the scullery maid is the lowest ranking servant and the only servant in which Mrs. Beeton had some empathy towards, “…perhaps the only one of her class deserving of commiseration: her life is a solitary one, and in some places, her work is never done.  She is also subject to rougher treatment” (Beeton).   This ‘rougher treatment’ of young scullery maids was not unheard of, or, all together that uncommon,

“One sixteen year old reported…’I am an orphan.  When I was ten I was sent to service as maid-of-all-work, in a small tradesman’s family.  It was a hard place, and my mistress used me very cruelly, beating me often.  I stood my mistress’s ill-treatment for about six months.  She beat me with sticks as well as with her hands.  I was black and blue, and at last ran away’” (Flanders, 139).  

Mrs Beeton describes the position of scullery made accurately, writing, “The position of scullery-maid is not, of course, one of high rank, nor is the payment for her services large. But if she be fortunate enough to have over her a good kitchen-maid and clever cook, she may very soon learn to perform various little duties connected with cooking operations, which may be of considerable service in fitting her for a more responsible place. Now, it will be doubtless thought by the majority of our readers, that the fascinations connected with the position of the scullery-maid, are not so great as to induce many people to leave a comfortable home in order to work in a scullery” (Beeton). 

(Young Scullery Maids with Upper Servant)

Scullery Maids were often young ladies, some as young as 9 or 10, and whose families were often the poorest of the poor.  The opportunity afforded a scullery maid was that of a roof over her head, food in a consistent manner and the possibility of learning new trade skills to improve her station in life.  It was above the horrors of the Victorian Work House or being destitute.  

Still, the life a scullery maid was extremely hard and taxing. The hours of the Scullary Maid were long ones, and the days off were far and few between.  Servants often did not have every Sunday off but perhaps every other Sunday… if they were lucky.  The entire household staff might not even have a reduced workload on Sundays, “If the family expected an elaborate Sunday dinner, then Sundays were like any other day for the servant.  When a half day was given, the servant was expected to get through the regular twelve hours’ work by five o’clock before being allowed out” (Flanders).  

The Scullery Maids had a vast amount of duties to perform.  She literally worked before sunup until well after sundown.  According to PBS Historians and featured in the program ‘Manor House,’ the Scullery Maids daily chores were as follows:

 “Morning Duties: You must rise at six o'clock and wash and dress, with your hair tied neatly back beneath your cap. Your bed must be made and you must be downstairs at work within half an hour of waking. You first task of the day is to stoke the Kitchen range to a good heat, to boil water for early morning tea. You must then empty the chamber pots of all the female Servants, and wash them around with a vinegar soaked rag kept only for this purpose. You should also assist the Lower Servants in preparing the early morning tea for the Upper Servants. You must then set about cleaning the Kitchen passages, the Pantries, the Kitchen and Scullery. When the Chef de Cuisine arrives in the Kitchen at half-past seven you will be expected to curtsey and bid him "Good Morning". At a quarter-to eight you should lay the table in the Servants' Hall for Breakfast. Breakfast is served in the Servants' Hall at a quarter past eight. You should clear the table afterwards and wash the dishes. At a quarter-past nine you must appear in a presentable state, attired in a clean apron, for Morning prayers in the Main Hall. This is the only time that it is acceptable for you to be seen above stairs, and it is compulsory for all members of Staff to attend. Your duties resume in the Kitchen at ten o'clock, when you must wash up all the dishes from the Servants' Breakfast, as well as the pans and kitchen utensils used in preparing both the Servants' and Family's Breakfasts. At half-past ten you should lay the table in the Servants' Hall for tea. At eleven o'clock tea is served in the Servants' Hall. You should clear the table afterwards and wash up. You should then assist the Kitchen Maid and Chef with preparations for the Servants' Dinner and Family's Luncheon, should they require you to. You must ensure the Kitchen is kept spotless at all times and continuously wash up after both the Chef de Cuisine and the Kitchen Maid as they make their preparations. At Midday you are to take your Dinner in the Kitchen with the Kitchen Maid so that you may watch over the Family's Luncheon, whilst the Chef takes his Dinner in the Servants' Hall with the other Servants. The Second Footman will lay the table, serve, and clear away the dirty dishes.

Afternoon Duties:  Your duties resume at one o'clock when you must begin washing up after the Servants' Dinner, and the Family's Luncheon. Providing your work is done, you may have one hour at your leisure between half-past two and half-past three. At half-past three you should lay the table in the Servants' Hall for Tea. Tea is served in the Servants' Hall at four o'clock, you should clear the table afterwards. At half-past four, you should resume your duties in the Kitchen, washing up after the Servants' Tea and the utensils used in preparation for the Family's Tea. You must assist the Kitchen Maid with any food preparation for the Family's dinner and Servants' Supper and continuously wash up any pots and pans used.  After the Family's Dinner has been served you must clean the Kitchen Passages, Pantries, Scullery and Kitchen. Supper is served in the Servants' Hall at half-past nine. The Second Footman is to lay the table, serve, and clear away afterwards. Providing you work is done, from half past nine until you are required to go to bed, you may enjoy your leisure” (PBS).  

On top of daily chores, the Scullery Maid was also expected to help in assigned duties for the purposes of specialized cleaning.  An example could be, "Monday: laundry; Tuesday: servants' room, one bedroom; Wednesday: remaining bedrooms; Thursday: drawing room, breakfast room, morning room; Friday: dining room and polishing the silver; Saturday: hall, stairs, kitchen, passageways; [and] Sunday: collect, sort, and soak laundry, to ready for it Monday" (Flanders, 144).  

(Hannah Cullwick, photographed by her future husband Arthur Munby)

A description of a 'maid-of-all-work' named Hannah Cullwick was described to a man named Arthur Munby (who would go on to later marry Hannah).  He had a sordid fascination with working-class woman and he described a scene in which he vividly casts a poignant light upon the working conditions of a Scullery Maid.  He noted about what he saw when he visited Hannah at a house located in Kilburn in North-West, London, England, "She stood at a sink behind a wooden dresser backed with choppers and stained with blood and grease, upon which were piles of coppers and saucepans that she had to scour, piles of dirty dishes that she had to wash.  Her frock, her cap, her face and arms were more or less wet, soiled, perspiring and her apron was a filthy piece of sacking, wet and tied round her with a cord.  The den where she wrought was low, damp, ill-smelling; windowless, lighted by a flaring gas-jet; and , full in view, she had on one side a larder hung with raw meat, on the other a common urinal; besides the many ugly, dirty implements around her" (Flanders, 103-104, Davidhoff, 79).  

The life of a Scullery Maid was a far cry from the cleaned up versions portrayed in such shows as Downton Abbey and Upstairs/Downstairs. Yet, we have a sort of fascination with Domestic Service. They were a hardworking lot who often came from less than desirous circumstances and they tried to eek out an existence while working for those whose stations in life could afford the service of others. The class system was fully apparent in Victorian, London, England but perhaps never more so than in the houses of the wealthy with a full staff of domestics.  

All in all, it makes me appreciate my lot in life, and that I am in the time of automated dishwashers, dryers and Dyson vacuum cleaners!

XOXO,

TheHistoryGirl

Sources:

Wikipedia Scullery Maid

https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/tag/secrets-of-the-manor-house/

Scullery Maid Painting

Flanders, Judith. Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. Print.

Davidoff, Leonore, and Ruth Hawthorn. A Day in the Life of a Victorian Domestic Servant. London: Allen and Unwin, 1976. Print.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n_vWOo_rBk

Beeton, Isabella. Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management. 1861. Print.

http://www.pbs.org/manorhouse/thepeople/ellen_duties.html