Indian Cookery, as Practised and Described by the Natives of the East
- Year
- 1831
- Era
- 19th century
- Origin
- India/UK · South Asia
- Language
- English
- Category
- South Asia
Indian Cookery, as Practised and Described by the Natives of the East, compiled by Sandford Arnot and issued in 1831, ranks among the earliest English-language cookbooks devoted to the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Drawing on indigenous culinary practice rather than Anglo-Indian adaptation, it introduced British readers to curries, pilaus, chutneys and other preparations described from native sources, marking a foundational moment in the Western documentation of South Asian foodways.
Cooking from this book
Chicken Curry
Signature dishA simple Anglo-Indian chicken curry stands as the emblem of this slim volume, the earliest known Indian cookery book printed in English. Aimed at colonial households and curious British readers, it presented the dish not as an exotic novelty but as a domestic staple, codifying a preparation that would shape British tastes for generations. Its appearance here marks the moment when Indian curry first entered the English culinary library in print.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
