INTERVIEW WITH BRIDGET WHITE-KUMAR FOR PROJECT BANGALORE

An interview with Bridget White by Anusha P Shetty for Project Bangalore on WordPress.com

An interview with Bridget White

Few of those living in Bengaluru today remember the colonial days of the city. Fewer are aware of their existence at all. And so, the Anglo-Indian community, a living, breathing reminder of the British days of glory, often misses out on the limelight. However, this has not stopped the community from thriving in various domains and retaining their identity. One of these domains is that of food. While Anglo-Indian cuisine is seldom a popular choice in a city that thrives on pretty much anything and everything else, it has once again found favor with the general crowd due to the efforts made by dedicated members of the community. Anglo-Indian cuisine also opens a window to the largely ignored colonial history of Bengaluru, which is alive today in more ways than one.’
Bridget White-Kumar is one of the few Anglo-Indians who has successfully put Anglo-Indian cuisine on the map by reviving old and forgotten recipes. In a large and cosy apartment in a quiet street of Koramangala, Bridget welcomed and shared her story with us. Having spent her childhood in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), she settled in Bengaluru decades ago. Her mother, who was of Portuguese descent, was an avid cook, and passed down her love for Anglo- Indian food to her daughter as well.
Bridget began with how she started on her journey to publish cookbooks on Anglo-Indian cuisine. She went on to give us an insight into what Anglo-Indian cuisine really is – European food with the inclusion of an array of spices and local ingredients. It is not simply a mish-mash of English and Indian food, as people often wrongly assume from the name. Anglo- Indian cuisine is defined by the region it comes from, as it is the region that determines the ingredients that will go into the base dish. In the South of India, the main ingredients are meat, poultry, seafood and English Veggies. Anglo-Indian cuisine is thus the glorious fusion of traditional English dishes with flavourful Indian regional ingredients. In a way, the cuisine is a marker of their identity.
Reminiscing about her childhood days, Bridget recollected stories about the delicacies such as coconut rice, meatball curry, beef and pork roasts, pish pash, etc. She continues to make them today, and they feature prominently in her cookbooks. In fact, when asked which Anglo Indian dish she would serve to someone who has never eaten Anglo Indian food, she responded with “Coconut rice and Anglo-Indian Ball Curry with Chicken pepper fry”.
Getting deeper into the history and technicality of Anglo-Indian cuisine, she pointed out how the cuisine simply works on one element of the dish to bring out the strengths of the particular vegetable or meat present in it. This is what makes the cuisine an absolute delight for the taste buds, and an easy preparation as well.
The Anglo-Indian community exhibits a strong bond, especially because of their love for their history and lifestyle. White recollected how cooking was a family affair during her childhood. Each person in the house was given a task – from mincing the meat for the main course to shelling the almonds for the dessert. The cuisine, thus, is not just about the dish prepared; it is also about the group effort that goes into preparing it. And of course, enjoying the dish together, as a family.
Christmas in Bengaluru is an extravagant affair, with people rushing to dine at the finest of places. However, back in the day, for the Anglo-Indian community, Christmas celebrations were more about preparing the food at home instead of eating out. The Christmas tradition and cuisine that was followed in her family had a generous mix of English food (such as roast turkey, gingerbread and wine) and regional Indian dishes (such as coconut rice, pulaos, curries, etc.), adding greatly to the festive cheer.
Bridget mentioned an interesting fact – that Anglo Indian cuisine is considered only in India. For the English, anything touched by Indian ingredients is clubbed under “Indian cuisine”. She went on to share more anecdotes about growing up in KGF. The relationship between the British and Indians was an interesting, layered one. While the British were distant, they were not unfriendly. True, there was a division between the British and the Indians, but this did not prevent the exchange of customs and ideas, as is clearly demonstrated by Anglo-Indian cuisine.
The grand Balls, Dances and parties held in KGF were a true display of British tradition and pride. Even though KGF changed drastically after the mines were nationalised and several Anglo-Indians left the town to seek their fortunes someplace else, the place still retains its colonial heritage. The tradition of the grand New Year balls that is carried on to this day is a marker of this fact.
Bridget shed light onto the mass exodus of Anglo Indians from India that took place in the 1960s,70s and 80s. She believes the reason behind this was that Anglo-Indians believed that they would not be able to integrate properly into the newly independent Indian society. Fearing social exclusion and lack of opportunities, several chose to return to what many think of as their motherland – England.
According to her, those who stayed behind did so because they already had stable jobs and an active community life. Perhaps, they could not bear to part with the places that had become an integral part of their life and identity.
Bridget’s early experiences of Bangalore (Bengaluru) demonstrate how the British Raj influenced a major part of Bangalorean culture. Commercial Street and South Parade were the go-to spots even in the 1950s.
Deviating a bit from the topic of food, Bridget spoke about British and Anglo-Indian residences. One of the main features of British and Anglo-Indian architecture was the separation of the kitchen from the main house. The kitchen would be connected to the main house by a narrow tunnel-like passage or hallway. The kitchen would have a big storage room as well. Back in her day, all Anglo-Indian kitchens had a kitchen table where all the prep would take place such as chopping of veggies, cutting the meat and jointing the poultry, etc. Every Anglo-Indian household had a Coconut Scraper and Meat Mincer fixed to the kitchen table, where the meat was minced for the Meatballs and Cutlets and the Coconuts were scraped for coconut milk. The actual cooking was done on wood-fired ovens and Sigris much before kerosene and gas stoves. She showed us family recipes of Pepper Water and other favourites [written in her mother’s handwriting], and her prized books [Mrs Beeton’s and a Higginbothams publication cookbook written by an anonymous Madras resident- who is speculated to be English].
She also showed us some interesting recipes explaining how the British adapted to the produce available to them in India and incorporated them into their dishes.
Anglo-Indian cuisine draws from multiple European influences- Portuguese, English, Scottish, etc. And the culinary exchange that remains a symbol of the colonial presence extends far beyond this. For example, the Portuguese deserve credit for bringing to us vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes – which is now a staple in every household.
Mrs. White-Kumar is quite confident when she says the Anglo-Indian community will continue to thrive. They celebrate their history even in the present. She has connected with Anglo-Indians across the globe, and this has enabled her to successfully go forth in her mission to bring back Anglo-Indian cuisine into the lives of the common people.