Latest news with #Anglo-Indian
Hans India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Tansen to hold Royal Kitchen Food Festival
Hyderabad: Tansen, Hyderabad's distinguished haven for northwest frontier cuisine, will organise Royal Kitchen Food Festival from July 24 to 26. The festival revives the nostalgic flavours of India's colonial past, bringing to life cherished Anglo- Indian recipes and abroad railway carriages. Director Ohri's group Amar Ohri said that every dish created by the group carries a spirit of a story, the warmth of tradition and the joy of bringing people together.
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Mayukh Sen's 'Love, Queenie'
What if you spend your whole life living a lie and do it so convincingly that you believe it too. That was the case with actress Merle Oberon (1911-79), born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson in Bombay. In her quest to make it to the magical world of Hollywood, Oberon hid her Anglo-Indian roots and claimed she was white and hailed from Tasmania, Australia. It's a lie she'd take to the grave.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Time of India
When did chocolate first come to India: 5 interesting facts
Chocolate feels like it has always been part of life, in birthday cakes, festive gifts, homemade brownies and sweet cravings after meals. But it wasn't always found in Indian kitchens. Before becoming the creamy treat we love today, chocolate had to travel across oceans, change shape and slowly find its flavour in Indian homes. It came with history, trade, colonisers and a little bit of sweetness. And once it came, it never left. Here are some lesser-known facts about how chocolate became part of India's journey. Chocolate's journey to India While cocoa reached India through global trade, the British helped shape how chocolate was eaten. In colonial times, chocolate was seen as something fancy and mostly used by the rich. As food habits changed, it slowly became part of city life, especially in Anglo-Indian and Parsi homes, where Western-style desserts and baking were more popular. South India became cocoa's home The tropical climate of states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka turned out to be perfect for growing cocoa. These regions are still where most of India's cocoa is grown. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When Knee Pain Hits, Start Eating These Foods, and Feel Your Pain Go Away (It's Genius) Read More Undo The southern belt not only cultivates cocoa but has also become a hub for artisanal chocolate makers and bean-to-bar brands. Cadbury changed the game When Cadbury entered India, chocolate shifted from a rare treat to something people enjoyed every day. Ads showing kids, families, and joyful moments helped people connect with chocolate. From gifts during festivals to bars in school tiffins, Cadbury became a well-known name that made chocolate feel like home. India now makes its own gourmet bars In the last few years, India has seen a rise in homegrown chocolate brands that focus on quality, sustainability, and unique flavors. These chocolatiers experiment with everything from chilli to sea salt to gondhoraj lime, all while using Indian-grown cocoa. This has opened up a new wave of appreciation for darker, purer forms of chocolate. More than just dessert Today, chocolate in India is not just about sugar cravings. Dark chocolate is now known for its health benefits, like boosting mood and supporting heart health. It is also added to protein bars, wellness snacks, and low-sugar treats. Many people now enjoy chocolate in fusion foods too, like chocolate dosas, mithais, and even masala chai truffles. From being a colonial luxury to becoming a daily comfort, chocolate has found its place in India. It now blends smoothly with our flavours, festivals, moods, and everyday moments.
NDTV
05-07-2025
- General
- NDTV
How Britain Gave Us Chicken Tikka Masala - And Why India Took It Back
By the time you finish reading this, you might start craving a bowl of creamy, tomato-rich chicken tikka masala, and that is entirely the point. But as you swirl a chunk of naan through that sunset-orange sauce, have you ever stopped to ask: Where did this dish actually come from? Is it truly Indian? In the pantheon of global comfort foods, few dishes have sparked as much debate, devotion, and delicious confusion as chicken tikka masala. Popularly known as CTM for decades now, it is a staple among British curry-house regulars. Experts have declared it a symbol of modern multicultural Britain. Even pubs in Yorkshire serve it over chips. Yet, most Indians back home might raise an eyebrow when someone says, "That's not really Indian, you know." In this article, we take a deep dive into the fascinating, flavour-packed journey of this beloved curry -from its alleged invention in a rainy Scottish kitchen to its triumphant return to Indian menus. Also Read: Anglo-Indian Cuisine: India's First Fusion Cuisine? 4 Emblematic Anglo-Indian Cuisine Recipes All About Chicken Tikka Masala: At first glance, chicken tikka masala seems like a natural extension of Indian culinary tradition. After all, it begins with chicken tikka - boneless chunks of chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, then roasted in a tandoor. But the masala, that rich, creamy, tomato-based gravy, is where the story takes a sharp turn. Unlike traditional Indian curries, which often rely on slow-cooked onions, whole spices, and regional techniques, chicken tikka masala's sauce is smoother, sweeter, and more uniform. It is a dish engineered for comfort not complexity, heat, or excess spice. The CTM Origin Story: The most widely accepted tale of chicken tikka masala's birth places it in Glasgow, Scotland, sometime in the 1970s. According to food historians, when a customer at the Shish Mahal restaurant in Scotland, complained that his chicken tikka was too dry, chef Ali Ahmed Aslam allegedly improvised a sauce using canned tomato soup, cream, and spices to appease the diner. The result? A dish that would go on to become a national obsession. But like all great origin stories, this one has its fair share of competing theories. Some historians argue the dish evolved gradually in Bangladeshi-run curry houses across the United Kingdom, where chefs adapted Indian recipes to suit British palates. Others trace its roots to butter chicken from Delhi, suggesting that tikka masala is a British remix of a Punjabi classic. Regardless of who first stirred the pot, one thing is clear: chicken tikka masala was born out of cultural negotiation. Also Read: Mulligatawny Soup: Is It India's First Soup? What Is It Made Of? Photo Credit: iStock From Curry-House Staple To British Icon: By the early 2000s, chicken tikka masala had become so entrenched in British food culture that then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook famously declared it "a true British national dish," reports the Guardian. He called it "a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences." Indeed, its popularity soared alongside the rise of the British curry house. These restaurants, often run by Bangladeshi immigrants, became culinary lifelines for post-war Britain, offering exotic flavours at affordable prices. Today, reportedly, it is estimated that over 23 million portions of chicken tikka masala are consumed annually in the United Kingdom. Supermarkets sell ready-meal versions, and the dish has even found a home in pubs and pop culture alike. Chicken Tikka Masala's Way Back To India: Over the past two decades, CTM has made its way back to India, but this time as a foreign import. Restaurants in Delhi, Mumbai, and beyond now serve their own versions, often labelled 'British-style curry' or 'Angrezi tikka masala'. For chefs here, it is a chance to reinterpret a relocated creation through a local lens, adding more heat, swapping cream for cashew paste, or pairing it with regional breads like kulcha or roomali roti. Also Read: How To Make Railway Mutton Curry - An Anglo-Indian Delicacy Of The First Class Passengers (Recipe Inside) Bottom Line: A Dish That Defies Borders Chicken tikka masala is the perfect example of what happens when a centuries-old cuisine meets a new audience and evolves in unexpected ways. The next time you dip a piece of naan into that luscious orange gravy, remember: you are not just eating a curry, you are tasting a slice of history. And if all this CTM conversation has left you hungry, here's a recipe to help you recreate it at home. Enjoy your meal! Advertisement About Somdatta Saha Explorer- this is what Somdatta likes to call herself. Be it in terms of food, people or places, all she craves for is to know the unknown. A simple aglio olio pasta or daal-chawal and a good movie can make her day. For the latest food news, health tips and recipes, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and YouTube. Tags: Chicken Tikka Masala Britain History Of Chicken Tikka Masala Show full article Comments
Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
The journey of Calcutta's oldest watch seller and its Swiss ancestry
With an eyeglass strapped to his forehead, Sajid Ismail is deeply engrossed in repairing a watch. Its owner waits patiently at the counter, set to depart for Odisha the next morning. Ismail's dedication to his craft mirrors the loyalty of the customer, who refuses to go anywhere but the Anglo Swiss Watch Co. Established in 1908 on BBD Bagh in central Kolkata, the Anglo Swiss Watch Co. is now in its third generation. Ismail pauses his work to apply eye drops. 'After all these years spent repairing watches, my eyes have turned dry,' he tells setting aside his flat-head screwdriver for a moment. His desk, cluttered with pouches of watches awaiting repair, sits at the centre of the shop. On one side is the retail section; on the other, the workshop. 'The workshop is where I am needed the most,' Ismail says, adding, 'My team and I repair about 15 watches a day and replace the batteries in at least 30.' The wall behind Ismail's desk is adorned with certificates from Rado, Tissot, and Longines, marking the years they appointed Anglo Swiss Watch Co. as one of their service centres in the city. Despite its pocket-watch collection and history, little about the Anglo Swiss Watch Co. feels antiquated. Yet, it continues to uphold its legacy as one of Calcutta's oldest watchmakers. According to Ismail, a Swiss watchmaker and jeweller named Hammond Gramitter fell in love with an Anglo-Indian woman during his visit to Calcutta in the early twentieth century. Soon after, Gramitter married her and established the Anglo Swiss Watch Co. at its current location. 'The name is testimony to their love,' Ismail says with a smile. Upon Grammiter's death in 1943, his wife decided to leave India. 'She sold the store along with its trademark name and the remaining inventory to my grandfather, SM Sayeed,' Ismail said. Sayeed, however, shut the jewellery business and focused on Swiss watches alone. He frequented Switzerland for work, where he sourced Swiss watches for export to India. 'Back then, the dial and the case had to be purchased separately, assembled and engraved with 'Anglo-Swiss' before being shipped to India,' recollects Ismail. On one such trip, Sayeed met a Swiss woman named Miss Anna Louisa. The couple married in 1946 and together ran the Anglo-Swiss Watch Co. in Calcutta. In The Business Of Time: A Global History of the Watch Industry (2022), French interior designer Pierre-Yves Donze extols the ability of Swiss watch merchants in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to establish themselves in distant markets, 'thanks to their commercial dynamism and the adaptability of their products.' British electric clock companies also rapidly established agencies in India before the First World War. 'For example, Gent & Co of Leicester supplied clocks for major stations on the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway, the East India Railway, and the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, as well as clocks for town halls, hospitals, and legislative buildings,' say historians James Nye and David Rooney in A General History of Horology (2022). Colonial Calcutta was dotted with similar establishments. Some that Ismail could recollect include Hamilton Watches, Cooke & Kelvey, J. Boseck & Co. Interestingly, what favoured Anglo Swiss Watch Co. was its location. 'The American Red Cross Club used to be on the first floor of this building, where British army officers came to relax. Accompanied by either their girlfriends or wives, the officers first purchased something at the store and then went to the club,' laughs Ismail. The years after India's independence were prosperous for Anglo Swiss Watch Co. 'Between the 50s and 70s, we used to sell around 1000 watches a day. You see, the Anglo-Swiss watches were the cheapest and most accurate,' Ismail says. Customers and watch sellers from neighbouring cities, such as Burdwan and Siliguri, flocked to the store. Pausing the audio-recording device, Ismail opens the drawer to his left to bring out a rectangular plastic box. Lowering his voice, he says, 'This has both antique and vintage watches that I have collected over the years.' When asked about the distinction between the two, he elaborates, 'Broadly, there are three categories — antique, vintage, and modern. A watch that is a hundred years old or more is considered an antique, while those that are around 40-50 years old are vintage pieces.' Among the antiques, he said, pocket watches were the most common. Returning to the period of the 50s-70s, he quickly warned: 'Don't think that the watches being sold were all wrist watches.' Wrist watches, he explained, didn't gain popularity until the latter half of the 20th century. 'They were also quite expensive,' he added. Hence, every major public space, including offices and railway stations, had a clock on their premises — 'clocks they purchased from Anglo Swiss Watch Co.' West Bengal weathered a range of economic upheavals in the following decades, compelling businesses to change course. During the decade of 1966-76, West Bengal's industrial landscape was impacted by two central government policies: freight equalisation and import tariffs. 'Along with these, a radical trade unionism backed by leftist intellectual support…brought in a militant frictional atmosphere in the industrial arena of Bengal which scared away new private investment to a significant extent,' note academics Deepita Chakravarty and Indranil Bose, in their journal article, Industrializing West Bengal?: The case of institutional sickness (2010). 'Through my childhood, in the 70s, I witnessed labour union strikes which took a toll on our business. Further, the government ban on imports in the 80s completely dwindled our watch import business,' Ismail says. The Government of India was moving towards a socialist path, and demand for expensive goods, like watches, was declining. Summarising, Donze argues, 'Until the end of the 1950s, imports of timepieces remained possible but were subject to quotas. The main exporters were Switzerland for watches, Germany for alarm clocks, and Japan for clocks.' However, he says, the Indian authorities then decided to launch the country's own watch production. 'The conditions imposed on a watch investment in India (majority of Swiss capital, Swiss management, sale only of complete watches, export ban, guarantee against the risks of nationalisation, guarantee of repatriation of profits to Switzerland, etc.),' according to Donze, dissuaded Swiss companies. In such circumstances, SM Sayeed began manufacturing wall clocks and punching clocks in his factory in the Paddapukur area of central Kolkata, staffed with 200 people. Punching clocks were machines where one could insert a card to record the time of arrival and departure at work, much like the biometrics of today. Ismail explains, 'Once you punch 100 punches, the clock automatically winds up.' The Sayeeds imported expensive machinery to manufacture punching clocks, while continuing with the repair and maintenance work. 'Indian watch production began in 1962 and was booming. Between 1965 and 1980, it grew from 208,000 to 4.8 million pieces. As a result, Swiss watchmakers saw a sharp drop in exports to India,' suggests Donze. In 1984, the Tata Group decided to invest in watchmaking, with the foundation of the joint venture Titan Industries, with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). Donze adds, 'The first watches were launched on the market in 1986 and the Titan brand was registered the following year.' SM Sayeed passed away in the early 1990s, when a young Ismail joined the business. Having learned watchmaking at the store, he decided to get a formal degree from Switzerland. In 1997, Ismail joined the Swiss Watch Institute: Watches of Switzerland Training Education Program (WOSTEP). 'There's so much to learn about watches, it is truly a science of its own,' he exclaims. Ismail envisions a similar path for his son, who is to depart for his studies in Switzerland next year. 'It is a family tradition,' he asserts. Ismail also expresses his disapproval of smart watches that have captivated young minds today. 'They're not watches, they're gadgets,' he remarks, adding, 'You have no idea what kind of radiation these gadgets expose your body to. Watches were never meant to be this harmful.' When Ismail returned to India in 1998, automated biometric systems had been introduced across the country, making punching clocks obsolete. 'We eventually shut the factory and decided to retail other brands such as Titan while continuing to sell some of our own products, and here we stand today.' Nikita writes for the Research Section of focusing on the intersections between colonial history and contemporary issues, especially in gender, culture, and sport. For suggestions, feedback, or an insider's guide to exploring Calcutta, feel free to reach out to her at ... Read More
