When we think of British food we think mostly of traditional pub meals — fish and chips, sausage and mash, steak pie, haggis neeps and tatties (Canadian translation: haggis, turnips and potatoes), and everyone’s favourite: sticky toffee pudding.
I personally could write an entire novel on sticky toffee pudding — extra sauce and extra ice cream, please — but will refrain from doing so for the betterment of my reputation as a health and fitness writer.
But British food also encompasses a range of international specialties brought to life within British borders.
The best of authentic international cuisine is usually found in London’s East End.
East London has historically been linked to incoming nations — and subsequently to food from the outside.
Brick Lane is a long stretch of restaurants, bars, shops and Sunday market stalls representative of London’s strongest immigrant populations.
In the late 19th century, most of Brick Lane became Jewish property. Thousands of Jews fled from persecution in Eastern Europe and more than 150,000 settled in London’s East End.
They made a living as shopkeepers and market traders, transforming Brick Lane into a district lined with kosher butchers, restaurants, Yiddish theatres and synagogues.
Throughout the 20th century the Jews became wealthy and most moved out of East London — leaving, to my pleasure, two traditional Jewish bagel shops in which you can buy the most delicious bagels you’ve ever tasted for just £1.50 a piece. They sit at the end of Brick Lane, looking out onto the historic street that has seen some dramatic changes since its Jewish days.
When India achieved its independence from the British Empire in 1947, many Indian nationals began to travel for new work and new lives.
A strong population had already landed in London when Ugandan president Idi Amin expelled 50,000 Gujarati Indians from Uganda in the 1970s for fear that they were abusing African wealth and goods. With the further influx of over 30,000 of these Indians, London’s immigrant quarters began to see another significant shift.
As Jewish shops and restaurants gave way to Indian curry houses, the rise of Anglo-Indian cuisine was inevitable.
Indians brought spices like saffron, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger and mint with them and recreated their national dishes like rogan josh, bhuna, korma, pasanda and vindaloo in Britain.
They decorated their stalls and restaurants with art and material from the Indian Subcontinent. Sari scarves became a desirable fashion statement in the U.K. and are still sold today in the Brick Lane markets.
They welcomed the interest and wealth that the British and tourists to Britain brought to Brick Lane; yet Muslim restaurant owners maintained their beliefs against the prospect of even greater wealth by refusing to serve alcohol to diners.
However, with no such prohibitions in India’s Hindu religions, a variety of Brick Lane curry houses have always served and continue to serve alcoholic beverages like India’s own Cobra beer.
However, curry houses in Britain are in no way restricted to Brick Lane. Every village, town and city block in the country seems to have at least one curry house that has been short-listed for a reputable food and service award.
Beyond the pubs, they are undoubtedly the favourite dining choice for commencing a celebratory night out or reuniting with friends and family.
But Brick Lane is certainly the site of numerous well-known Indian restaurants and several hidden gems. There are probably a hundred of them — all lined up next to one another with members of staff striking deals with passersby to attract the biggest crowds.
It is a fun place to go if you have the mind to barter for a cheap meal — and if you play your cards right you will usually end up with a very small bill for a gorgeous, authentic Indian meal.
My latest quest was one of my best yet. I was swooned by one of the first ‘deal brokers’ I met — but the restaurant looked beautiful and the deal was superb, so I couldn’t say no.
The venue was deep enough that you felt tucked away from the bustle of Brick Lane, but with all the Indian artistic staples on the walls and mouthwatering smells coming from the kitchen.
I’m a chicken korma kind of girl, so I went for my usual. My dining companion tried the lamb pasanda. We shared a Peshwari naan (bread stuffed with almond sultanas) and some Gobi cauliflower (served with tomato and spices).
We enjoyed two free rounds of drinks on the house.
The table had no room to spare and the plates, within minutes, were completely empty. I even tried the lamb (which I normally swear off for the dreaded fatty bits) and was awed by the completely lean, tender strips of lamb cooked in a sweet cream sauce. This was the first curry house to ever make me rethink my favourite dish.
Am I a lamb pasanda kind of girl now? I’ll report back following my next curry.
Brittany Kennedy grew up in Red Deer and graduated from Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School. She attended university in Scotland and is now living and working in London, England.