Beyond Fish and Chips: Uncovering the Food Identity of London Through French Cuisine, Curry, and Tea Open Access

Abstract

London’s modern restaurant industry is filled with Michelin-star restaurants, eclectic food markets, and temporary pop-ups. Meanwhile, British food itself is generally acknowledged to be drab, dull, and overwhelmingly meat-based. This thesis seeks to understand London’s culinary contradiction by looking back at the development of nineteenth-century restaurants. In order to understand how London’s global culinary landscape emerged, this thesis follows the careers of three prominent French chefs, learns about the emergence of Indian ingredients, and analyzes the reasons for the increase in tea drinking. International foods became interweaved, as exemplified through the meal of afternoon tea, as elements of French pastry and usage of Indian teas were incorporated into the traditional tea menu. As the London food scene was developing, gender expectations and roles, Britain’s influence as an imperial power, and the shift of dining from private to public spaces all played important roles and their influence can still be seen in elements of the modern restaurant industry. While there is an increasing number of publications focusing on food history, this thesis intends to take an interdisciplinary approach by looking not only at three interweaving food histories, but also by viewing these culinary developments through a cultural historical lens involving gender, economics, and imperialism. 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Appetizer:                                                                         

London: A Culinary Contradiction ……………………………………………………………… 1

First Course: 

An Unlikely Trio: How French Cuisine, Indian Curry, and Tea 

Were Interpreted in Private British Kitchens …………………..………………………………..16

Second Course: 

Inventions, Exhibitions, and Necessary Luxuries: 

The Rising British Interest in Foreign Foods ……………………………………………………30

Third Course: 

A True Blend of Flavors, Ingredients, and Cultures …………………………………………….47 

Dessert: 

The Final Course ………………………………………………………………………………...66

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	History
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Gender Studies History, European History, World History
Keyword	curry Britain imperialism tea London French cuisine women gender nineteenth-century
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Kathryn Amdur, Emory University
Committee Members	Paul Kelleher, Emory University Jia-Chen Fu, Emory University

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