23/08/2026
Not just that…
* Butter Chicken (a proper North Indian dish) became English!
* Tea (a very Indian tradition) became British culture
* Chicken tikka masala — Often described as a British-Indian creation. Its exact origin is disputed, but it became one of Britain’s most iconic “national” dishes.
* Anglo-Indian curry — British cooks and restaurants adapted Indian regional dishes into what became known in Britain simply as “curry.”
* Chutney — Indian chutneys were adapted into British versions, including the famous Major Grey’s chutney.
* Mulligatawny soup — Based on South Indian milagu thanni (“pepper water”), adapted by the British into a soup.
* Kedgeree — Based on the Indian dish khichdi, which the British adapted into a breakfast dish with rice, eggs and smoked fish.
* Madras curry — “Madras curry” became a British restaurant staple, despite being a British interpretation rather than a traditional single dish from Madras/Chennai.
* Vindaloo — Originated from Portuguese-influenced Goa, but Britain transformed it into the famously fiery curry-house dish.
* Jalfrezi — Has roots in Bengal and became particularly popular in British curry houses.
* Curry house culture itself — The British curry house is largely a product of South Asian migration and entrepreneurship, particularly Bangladeshi communities, yet curry became deeply embedded in British food culture.
And Butter Chicken is the particularly interesting one. It is absolutely a North Indian/Punjabi dish, traditionally associated with Delhi and the Moti Mahal restaurant, and its British popularity has sometimes made it feel like a “British curry” to outsiders. But calling it English would be historically inaccurate — it’s more accurate to say Britain adopted, popularised and adapted Indian food.
There are also many examples outside food — things Britain encountered in India and then incorporated into British life, fashion, language and institutions.😄
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaqNPD4K88q/?igsi=eW90czFjNmlmczlv
