This yummy Observer article about Britain’s new wave of upscale Indian restaurants has some interesting details on the evolution of Indian food in Britain. “More than 90 per cent of Indian restaurants in Britain are owned and run by Bangladeshis.” This, they claim, accounts for the homogeneity of Indian restaurant food. There are also details on the substitutions made for original ingredients. The new upscale places are trying to import the right raw materials, such as rock moss from Hyderabad, an essential ingredient for steaming up a true biryani. But the mainstream curry shops make do with jarred curry pastes and powdered food colorings. This formula is true for restaurants of all cuisines, though. High-class places use authentic ingredients. At the end of the article is a list of facts, the most disheartening for me being that chicken tikka masala, one of my favorites, was invented in the oh so Asian land of Glasgow. Ah well, bring on the chop suey and fortune cookies. Evolution is OK (and often more affordable). (via randomWalks)