Mistress of Spices

Sixty years of Independence, exchange of ideas and trade but seems like food is probably the greatest of all India’s influences over Europe; be it Belgium, France or the U.K.. Interestingly, an observation during my 2 month stint here is that most of the restaurants I visited for my love of Indian food are run by either Bangladeshis or Pakistanis trying to make a quick buck with Europe’s love for Indian Food.



From day one since we, a group of ten journalists arrived in the U.K. for the Chevening scholarship - made it a point to keep a tab on nearby Indian restaurants. Staying in an apartment at Baker Street in London - I managed to find ‘Bombay Masala’. Being away from India a need for a conversation with someone ‘apna’ was due… But to my surprise on approaching the waiter I was politely told of him being a Bangladesh. I was faced with a similar reaction at Brussels - at ‘Maharani’ - the Bangladeshi owner enlightened me that the Hindi name had been kept precisely to woo customers.

Well After 2 such ironies my search for Indian restaurants wherever I went across UK doubled…. During my placement with BBC in Bristol – I found the Indian Tarka just across the Hotel Ibis where I was put up and surprise! Surprise this time it was the Pakistanis who owned the do rather than the usual Bangladeshis.

You can set your hands on every indian dish right from Masala Dosas, Rotis, chicken tikka masala to Aloo Gobi in these restaurants and as per a report, 80% of the Indian restaurants in the U.K. are run and managed by either Pakistanis or Bangladeshis. Well, this shows the importance of apna desi khanna in the angrez land and be sure I am proud of it.