India, which was once called the Golden bird has come a long way through! Indian history boasts of our rich culture and heritage, which has survived the ravages of time. With every invasion there was a cultural influx, some faded away with time and some remained. Interestingly, we often close our eyes and accede to the fact that these invasions spoiled the shape of our country. On the contrary, some cultural influences also gave our country a new dimension to move towards a positive trajectory having said that we cannot rule out the fact that they took away so much from us. One of the most prominent invasions on the land of India was by the British - East India Company. A lot has been said about all that was lost, but what we gained was priceless too! British rule gave rise to the intermingling of cultures leading to a rich cultural heritage. The most interesting form of culture influx was around food!

Birth of Anglo-India cuisineBritishers brought with them their culinary tradition that gave birth to a new culinary heritage, which boasts of an amalgamation of British and Indian cuisines at their best. The regions that were dominated by the Britishers adapted to their plate preferences. This interesting melange gradually gave life to a new form of cuisine -- The Anglo Indian cuisine.

How vegetarian food influenced Anglo-Indian cuisines Not much has been spoken or written about this amalgamation of colonial and Indian culinary legacy. In fact, there are several delicacies that we relish without pondering over the origin of it! Undeniably, as they say the love for food is beyond words and boundaries. Hence, the origin of Anglo-India food never got the much deserved limelight.

Right from the Kolakats famous Dak-Bungalow chicken to Anglo-Indian Tomato sambal to paneer jalfrezi to Murgi roast, the taste of colonisation resonates the essence of the delightful marriage of aromatic spices with a galore of ingredients that define the quintessence of Anglo-Indian cuisine. Meat delicacies were one of the mainstays of the Anglo-Indian cuisine. Interestingly, over a period of time the melange of vegetarian foods in the Anglo-Indian style changed the way these delicacies were relished.

With the rise of veganism or vegetarianism, the influx of culinary tradition changed the way Anglo-Indian delicacies were prepared. Ingredients like cottage cheese, vegetables and leafy greens were introduced and prepared in a melange of mild herbs like cilantro, thyme with an amalgamation of aromatic Indian spices, which made gave the best of both worlds experience to the Anglo Indian delicacies.

The distinctive flavour of Anglo-Indian food cannot be defined in words. The cultural influence was so enticing that chutneys, rice dishes, spicy curries and Indian breads became a part of British cuisine. In fact, Indians were introduced to the delicious pudding, meat roasts to name a few. The Anglo-Indian cuisine gradually adapted to the local and regional cuisines and turned out to be a delicious mix of flavours. India was a vegetarian dominated country and this culinary culture gradually intermingled with the anglo-Indian cuisine introduced several vegetarian delicacies like Indian dal pepper water, Indian mixed vegetable curry, capsicum brinjal and potato curry to name a few.

Interesting facts about Anglo-Indian cuisine

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Interesting facts about Anglo-Indian food and what to expect if you are a vegetarian - Times of India