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Another of India's soft power!

Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors Author: Lizzie Collingham (2006) When the first Europeans, mainly the British, landed on the Indian shores, they must have noticed that the natives' food was as bland as theirs back home. This must have been around the 16th century, when Europeans found an alternate route to access spices from the East, as the Islamic conquerers had absolute control over land routes and imposed exorbitant taxes on goods. Most of India's staple diet was khichari, a simple dish with two grains boiled in water. The grains may be rice, millet, lentils, chickpeas, or whatever is harvested. The Brahmans had their food restrictions, and so did the Jains. They had a medico-spiritual relationship with food. The preparation of food was according to Ayurvedic principles. Food was divine. The average Hindu in that era ate only two meals a day, one if you were very poor. So, it was a culture shock for them to see Faranghis eating so many times and, what'...