When Britain went beyond the bland, found spice
The Washington Times, Sunday, June 1, 2008
THE MULTICULTURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH FOOD
By Panikos Panayi, The University of Chicago Press, $40, 288 pages, illus.
REVIEWED BY MARTIN RUBIN
“A couple of years ago, there was a certain amount of amusement mixed with some consternation when a poll revealed that Britain’s favorite dish was none other than Chicken Tikka Masala. Not those insular perennials Fish and Chips or the Roast Beef of Olde England or even Spaghetti Bolognese, anglicized and familiarized by generations of children (of all ages) into their beloved Spag Boll. Not the American style hamburger, which swept aside the inferior British beefburger. Not even Curry, that Anglo-Indian dish brought back over two centuries of the Raj by pukka sahibs returning to the old country, but a genuine, authentic, truly Indian classic dish. No wonder Panikos Panayi, a British academic and son of a Greek Cypriot pastry chef, has aptly entitled his comprehensive and enlightening study, ‘Spicing Up Britain.’ . . .”
For Martin’s full review, click here or visit www.washingtontimes.com.