Maybe most of us know that curry has become the national dish of the United Kingdom. As the National Curry Week is between 10th and 16th October, I thought it is high time I had a look at the curry.

I was intrigued, how the curry arrived in England! The first thing that sprung to my mind was that obviously it had to do with the colonisation of India which is correct. But there is so much more to know about it.

What is curry in the first place and where is its origin?

First of all the word “curry” means more things. For me curry, meant curry powder which is an invention of the West in the 18th century and it is a mixture of spices, but when I relocated, I soon learnt curry also means a dish and even several varieties. I think, curry must be similar to our “pörkölt” (a meat stew which originates from Hungary) in so far as that pörkölt can be made of beef, lamb, chicken, pork, tripe, kidney, mushroom and even catfish, just like curry which is made of beef, chicken fish or simply vegetables. The cradle of the curry is said to be the Indian subcontinent, which involves Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Srí Lanka.

I am not sure it is known how many varieties exist, as the way the curry is prepared depends on regional cultural traditions, religious practice and family customs and recipes. However, the majority of the curries contain cumin, turmeric and coriander.

I found it astonishing that curry is made in the following countries: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Srí Lanka, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, South-Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Fiji and of course the United Kingdom. This is 22 countries all together and we have not even mentioned the regional varieties.

The way to England

Curry arrived in England via the East India Company, or more precisely via those men who returned from India and wanted to enjoy the tastes of India. The rich brought Indian cooks with them and those who could not afford an own cook, enjoyed a curry in coffee houses: the Norris Street Coffee House served curry in 1733 in London, Haymarket and by the end of the 18th century curry and rice became a speciality dish in some of the London restaurants.

The first Indian restaurant, the Hindoostane Coffee House was opened by Sake Dean Mahomed in 1810 in Mayfair, London. Mahomed wanted guests to enjoy not only the tastes of India but the atmosphere of country as well, so he created the decor accordingly and even a room for the “hookahs”. Curried foods are beneficial and helps digestion and improves circulation, it was therefore a popular dish by 1840, however after 1857 Rebellion in India its popularity dropped.

Curry as well as Indian culture and food needed a patron and it happened to be Queen Victoria who was passionate about the country. In her last years she had a close friendship with one of her Indian servants, Abdul Karim from whom she learnt even more about India. The first Indian restaurant in the 20th century was opened in 1910 in London, called “The Shafi” followed by the Veeraswamy in 1926, which is still around today. Later, Indian cuisine and with that curry as well spread by the increasing number of Indian, Bengali and Pakistani immigrants. Although the popularity of the curry houses are declining since the 2010’s, curry isn’t. Many people started to cook it at home after realising how easy it is to make from scratch and general restaurant also have curry on the menu.

An incredibly delicious Chicken Tikka Masala

Although I have just announced last week I am not going to publish recipes, I cannot, not share this Chicken Tikka Masala one because it is SOOO good. It is unclear, where this dish originates from and there are at least three theories: 1) invented by a Bangladeshi chef in the 60s or 70s, 2) invented by a Pakistani chef in Glasgow in 1971, 3) it is an original Punjab dish. Well, no matter where it comes from, I LOVE it and although it is not the Number one anymore (the green curry has taken over), it is still incredibly popular.

The recipe I am going to share is from a Lorraine Pascale TV program, which I tried instantly, then have made it my own way since. You will see, how easy it is to prepare it and as Lorraine said, you won‘t want to buy ready sauces anymore.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 2

500g chicken breast
3 tbs tomato puree
small piece of fresh ginger
5 spring onions
1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 tsp English mustard
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp curry powder
1 clove of garlic
100ml double cream
salt
black pepper
some oil
a small chunk of butter

I cut the chicken breast into middle size chunks and season it with salt and pepper. Put some oil and a piece of butter to the pan and fry the chicken until it is golden brown (the butter helps to get the colour). Then I add the spices: paprika, turmeric, garam masala and curry powder and mix it well. I then grind the ginger on top and crush the garlic. Then add the tomato puree and stir it well adding some water to get a thick sauce. If necessary, add some more tomato puree and water. I leave it for 1 or 2 minutes, then add the English mustard, cream, chopped spring onions and coriander. Again, I let it cook for a few minutes and it is ready. I serve it with cooked rice and a simple tomato salsa (tomato, red onions, salt, peper, coriander and balsamic vinegar).

Hmmm, I think I need to now go and prepare my curry…

Enjoy…

The first things come to people’s minds about Scotland are probably “Nessie”, whisky, kilts and castles, which of course have their own ghosts. I did a little investigation and found that there are approximately 1200 castles in Scotland, however, a few of them do not look like castles. Anyway, if you visit Scotland, visiting a castle is a must.

So did we and visited 3 castles on our Scotland trip which I am going to present in this post. I will try to be brief (it is difficult) and let the photos do the speaking.

Scottish Style

As an introduction though, let me explain the styles of Scottish castles quickly. There are some which look more like a medieval fortress and then we have some which have Renaissance, or Gothic style. However, the most popular style is the Scots Baronial, merging the styles of a medieval fortress with the French Renaissance chateaux style. The result is a Disney like castle, which can be understood better if we remind ourselves that this was the period of the Romanticism, when people turned away from the present and recalled the past and found comfort in that. The style became popular in the Victorian era from 1850 onwards. Characteristics are: pepper pot turrets, towers, crenelated battlements, porches, porticos, porte-cocheres.

Glamis Castle

Click on the photos below to see them in a slideshow.

The first castle on our trip was Glamis Castle, which I believe would take anybody’s breath away. The medieval building was extended and rebuilt in Renaissance and Gothic style. I loved this castle in spite of photographing not being allowed in the castle. There was a very interesting and well narrated 50 minutes tour. Let me share three things:

1.
Royal Family

The castle belonged to the Bowes-Lyon family, the Earls of Strathmore for centuries. In 1900, the Queen Mother was born here and grew up in the castle. Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret who by the way was born here, spent much of their childhood in the castle. You can see their little wooden chairs next to the huge fireplace where the family would sit in the evenings.

2.
Ghosts

Glamis Castle is said to have 9 (!) ghosts having the title of the most haunted castle in Scotland. So there is a Grey Lady, who appears from time to time in the little chapel of the castle, therefore, locals who attend the mass today leave one chair for her. Who was the Grey Lady? Her name was Lady Janet of Douglas and her brother happened to be the step-father of King James V. The King hated his step-father and his family and when Lady Janet’s husband died and there was no one else left to protect the family, King James V allowed Lady Janet and her 16 year old son executed for witchcraft in Edinburgh. Then there is The Gambling Earl, the Earl of Crawford also known as Earl Bardie who had a passion for playing cards. One night when one of the servants reminded the Earl to stop as it was sabbath, the Earl said, he would not stop playing and would play until doomsday even with the Devil. Apparently, a stranger who was said to be the devil himself appeared at midnight and joined the Earl to play cards. Since people reported loud swearing and rattling of dice which annoyed the tenants of the castle so much that they bricked up the room. Then there is a black, African servant boy who was badly treated 200 years ago and who today is said to mischievously try to trip up passers by sitting on a stone seat next to the Queen’s bedroom. Others are a ghost of a woman with no tongue who is said to haunt the grounds, a Green Lady, the Hanged Butler, the ghost of King Malcolm II, Duncan and Macbeth and more importantly the Monster of Glamis. According to the legend, the family had a child who was severely deformed and locked up in a room in the tower. Others believe he died on the day he was born.

3.
Strathmore Blue

What I do like about the English (in this case let’s say British) is that they have a name for every colour or shade. You could read about the London Cabmen’s shelters on the blog’s Facebook page where I explained these shelters were painted Buckingham Paradise Green or in my post about the phone boxes you could find Battleship Grey and Brunswick Green, in another post a fabric and colour is called the Lavenham Blue. Well, the Strathmore family’s colour is called Strathmore Blue which was the Queen Mother’s favourite colour. Not to confuse it with the equally popular and similar shade of Duck Egg or Sea-spray Blue.

Balmoral Castle

When we hear the name Balmoral, many of us associate it with Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth II driving her Land Rover on the estate or walking her corgies wearing a headscarf. The estate was acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1848, 5 years after their first visit to Scotland when they fell in love with the Scottish countryside. They bulit a new building on the estate (the castle today) and the old building was later demolished. Prince Albert influenced the design which was Scots Baronial.

Unlike the Glamis Castle, Balmoral did not have a wow factor for me. The castle itself is beautiful, but quite small. I think, what frustrated me was the fact that only the ballroom was open for the public, which is understandable considering the Queen still uses the castle from August until autumn. Yet I believe, the tour of the grounds could have been constructed in a more interactive way rather than just having an audio-tour where you have to hold a phone like thing to your ear all time. This made taking photographs difficult carrying round this extra equipment. I have seen the English doing a great job in visualising or making an excellent creative and interactive exhibition and it would be great if Balmoral could come up with something similar. Anyway, the estate has everything that you would find on an estate: vegetable garden, conservatory, flower garden, garden cottage, deer larder, park, riverside, pet cemetery. Without a doubt my frustration was compensated by the quirky details of the castle.

Balmoral is said to have one ghost, the ghost of Queen Victoria’s servant and friend, John Brown. He is said to walk down the corridors always wearing his kilt. Queen Elizabeth II said, she saw the ghost of John Brown at Balmoral and could feel his presence.

Dunrobin Castle

The Dunrobin Castle is beautiful and could easily fit into a fairytale with its pepper pot turrets. When I first saw it it reminded me of the Disney Castle and I bet, you do the same. The castle has belonged to the Earls of Sutherland for centuries. The Castle was re-built in Scots Baronial style after 1850. With its 189 rooms, the Dunrobin castle is the biggest castle in Northern Scotland – how they did not get lost in it, I have no idea…. The view from the rooms overlooking the North Sea is fascinating both in sunshine and I guess in a storm as well. I have visited many English castles and stately homes and what I found interesting walking through the rooms at Dunrobin is that they did not seem to be overly wealthy. I am sure the Earls of Sutherland were very wealthy, yet somehow it appeared in a very different way than you would normally find in England.

Dunrobin Castle too has its own ghost. The Earl of Sutherland locked up a young woman of a rival clan in the upper floor and he wanted to marry her. The woman wanted to escape through the window by tying sheets together but unfortunately, she fell off and died. Her crying is said to be heard coming from the seamstress room.

~

Scotland has some amazing castles which during our visit we were very lucky to visit in fantastic weather. Matching the beautiful Castles with the most amazing scenery touring around Scotland has ensured that we shall return. If a countries beauty and assets inspires you, Scotland is a must.

Alright, but what is it?

When I first heard the word Crufts something like 15 years ago, I had no idea what it was and I associated it with Krafts, the chocolate brand, or the word “crafts”. I asked one of my friends the other day what he associated Crufts with and the result was similar: 1) Karfts Jacobs, the chocolate brand, 2) the German word “Kraft” meaning power and 3) the German word “Kraftwerk” meaning power station or the German electric band. Because I had a dog, the meaning of Crufts turned up fairly quickly in my case: Crufts is not only the UK’s but the World’s biggest dog show, which has been broadcasted by the BBC (in recent years by Channel 4) since 1950.

The situation of pets

Although pets became popular already in the 16th century – think about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which appear on Van Dyck’s painting “The three eldest children of Charles I” from 1635 – animals were treated very poorly until the beginning of the 19th century, when the first animal protection acts and prosecutions regarding animal cruelty appeared in Britain, finally the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) was founded in 1824. The Victorians were the first ones who really loved, cared for and protected their animals, however they were often criticised for breeding and experimenting. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were big animal lovers: they kept dogs, cats, ponies, parrots and donkeys in the court. No wonder keeping pets became fashionable quickly.

How did it all begin?

The dog show was named after Charles Cruft, who worked for a Canadian entrepreneur and produced dog biscuits in London. In order to understand the requirements better, Cruft visited dog shows, but in 1886 he was fed up with visiting other’s shows, so in the end he established his own show. The first dog shows organized by Cruft were, the First Great Terrier Shows, but soon all breeds could attend when he organized the first Cruft’s Greatest Dog Show. Interestingly, Queen Victoria signed up her two Pomeranian’s and her Collie in 1891, which soon became a fashionable habit among European royals. During the world wars there were no dog shows for obvious reasons and in 1954 it was cancelled because of a strike by electricians.

The 100th show was not held in London anymore, as the show had grown and required a bigger venue. Therefore, it moved to the NEC in Birmingham. To put it into perspective how big Crufts is: it is spread out over 25 hectares, 20-25.000 dogs attend and 160.000 visitors visit the 4 day event and apparently 350kg of dog hair is cleaned up after the show. 🙂 What I really find fair and appealing is that the organizers started Scruffts in 2000 which is the dog show for cross breeds. But Crufts, is not only about pedigree dogs shows, there are agility shows, flyball championships, dance performances or police dog presentation and in recent years health and animal welfare has become more and more important. Last but not least, you could ask whether Cruft loved dogs. Well, we do not know. Some say he had a St Bernard, others say he did not have dogs at all and in his second wife, Emma Cruft mentions a cat, as pets in her memories. 🙂

The English is a dog-loving nation

Being a Hungarian, I am very proud of having 9 Hungarian dog breeds. Nine may not sound to many, but considering there are countries with less, or none breeds, nine is a fair number. It is commonly known the English are a dog lover nation. Indeed, they are. I looked it up how many dog breeds originate in the UK and Ireland and the result is amazing:

• England: 52
• Scotland: 18
• Wales: 11
• Ireland: 10

If I consider Great-Britain, it means 81 dog breeds. To put it into perspective, both the Germans and French have 46 dog breeds. And let me be biased for a while: during the 127 years of Crufts, the Best In Show was won 4 times by Irish Setters (my beautiful dog was an Irish Setter) and in 2010 a Hungarian Vizsla won the Best In Show title.

And how is Crufts in reality?

I can tell you, as this dream came true last year when we visited the show on the day of the Gundogs. Although the show is in March, it is advisable to book tickets in advance, otherwise it might be difficult to obtain. The NEC is really big. When I say big, I do mean BIG. It took 10 minutes to get to the main entrance and there are some flat escalators like at airports you have to walk on. The show was located in 5 halls and I must admit, I struggled to find my way around. Although it has been a little while since I have been to a dog show in Hungary, Budapest, but as far as I can remember, the halls in Budapest can accommodate several dog classes whilst at Crufts there was a hall where you would only find retrievers… The booklet of Gundogs contained 434 pages. It is indeed a massive show. Later on I saw it on TV there was a judge who judged Labradors for 10 hours on that day (I would die, no matter how much I love dogs…)! By the way, Labradors have the highest registration numbers. What is important is that the show was clean, well organized and visitors kept the rules, meaning not touching the dogs if the owner/handler is not there. Because we arrived early we could walk around every hall and have a good look at the beauties, but by noon the crowd was unbearable, so we left.

~

I think, it is worth while going to see Crufts once in a lifetime, because it is a great experience. Especially as it is well organized, clean, both in the exhibition area and restaurants and facilities. And if you are lucky enough to get a ticket for the Best in Show or the agility show, you will have a lifetime experience as a Dog lover, I think.

Woof!