Brisk, capable, humorous, highly opinionated, and frequently ironic, The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook opens a fascinating window on the day-to-day life of the British in India in the late nineteenth century. Steel and Gardiner's mission to uphold Victorian standards in Indian kitchens has illuminating parallels with the running of the British Empire, and their domestic guide reveals as much about British attitudes to India as any history book on the Raj. In this treasure trove of household advice for young British memsahibs, they explain how to "make a hold" over servants, establish and stock a storeroom, plan a menu, manage young children, treat bites from "mad, or even doubtful dogs," and teach an Indian cook how to make fish quenelles. Whether living in camps or the jungle, on the hills or in the plains, no British woman would be at a loss with The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook by her side. For this new edition, the editors provide a lively Introduction and notes that offer an invaluable guide to the manual.
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About the Author:
Ralph Crane is Professor of English at the University of Tasmania.
Anna Johnston is Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Tasmania.
Review:
Their mission, to create a domestic space that was forever Wiltshire, throws a bright light on the larger project of which they were a part, that of running the British Empire. Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian Steel and Gardiner aimed to do what Mrs Beeton had done for their stay-at-home sisters. Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian Fascinating, immensely detailed... A priceless insight into the mindset and even character of those women out there. Martin Rubin, Washington Times What these women did was to create an authentically unique subculture of their own on that vast, sometimes hostile, subcontinent. Martin Rubin, Washington Times The cream of the crop of the recent historical [cookery] reprints. Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian
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