Looking at the link, I don’t see it actually saying she ate curry. Just that someone gave her some Indians who were able to make curry and that it was on the weekly menu. Not sure if they meant it as options or not. Perhaps I was wrong though and just remembered something from The Supersizers. Giles mentioned that in the narration once, though he also said during the Medieval episode people used spices to cover the taste of rotting meat. Eurasian spices cannot cover the taste, it would be unhealthy to eat that, the spices were more expensive than meat, plus they tended to butcher animals around the time they were going to eat them. Still, these things sink into the common knowledge. We also would need to consider whether the version eaten in Britain at the time would be as different from the many cuisines in Indi as Mexican and Chinese food in America is.
How did the British view Indian food?
- Thread starter PsyloSurgeon
- Start date
The first link strikes me more as puffery than definitive historical proof.
I've read multiple sources that Queen Victoria wasn't a huge fan of highly spiced foods, but didn't mind curry. She loved food and particularly sweets, but curry doesn't seem to make a great appearance in the documentary history. I'd therefore say that it is likely that she partook of curried food, such as mutton chops, at breakfast, but wasnt an enthusiast for the authentic Indian style.
I've read multiple sources that Queen Victoria wasn't a huge fan of highly spiced foods, but didn't mind curry. She loved food and particularly sweets, but curry doesn't seem to make a great appearance in the documentary history. I'd therefore say that it is likely that she partook of curried food, such as mutton chops, at breakfast, but wasnt an enthusiast for the authentic Indian style.
The Supersizers was a good intro to some of the foods of the past, but some mistakes did come through in the episodes. One of them is the rotting meat myth:
Spices Weren’t Used To Cover The Taste Of Rotten Meat
"Taste is the enemy of creativeness." —Pablo Picasso In A Nutshell The popularity of spices skyrocketed in Europe around the
knowledgenuts.com
The Taste of Medieval Food - Medievalists.net
When speaking of medieval foods, most people think of one or two things: drab, tasteless foods, or the historically inaccurate meals served at medieval reenactments where patrons eat sans utensils while watching some sort of entertaining reenactment. Both conceptions couldn’t be further from the...
www.medievalists.net
A status symbol? Definitely
Hiding rotting stuff? More of a case of getting lost in translation
I always thought to was to cover the lack of taste of bland food and replace it with the flavour of spices.The Supersizers was a good intro to some of the foods of the past, but some mistakes did come through in the episodes. One of them is the rotting meat myth:
Spices Weren’t Used To Cover The Taste Of Rotten Meat
"Taste is the enemy of creativeness." —Pablo Picasso In A Nutshell The popularity of spices skyrocketed in Europe around theThe Taste of Medieval Food - Medievalists.net
When speaking of medieval foods, most people think of one or two things: drab, tasteless foods, or the historically inaccurate meals served at medieval reenactments where patrons eat sans utensils while watching some sort of entertaining reenactment. Both conceptions couldn’t be further from the...www.medievalists.net
A status symbol? Definitely
Hiding rotting stuff? More of a case of getting lost in translation
The taste of the food wasn't really bland. Roasted boar/pork with honey and herbs isn't bland, nor is well hung venison. Look at the menu of a medieval banquet and find the naturally bland there, even without spices. From my reading, the major reason was the prestige element.
I was referring to Indians adding spices to their food.
Much of Indian food is vegetarian in India so no meat flavours.
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