Fish and Chips near Gatwick Airport
Italian Restaurants near Gatwick Airport
Mediteranean Cuisine near Gatwick Airport
Chinese Restaurants near Gatwick Airport
Indian Restaurants near Gatwick Airport
Pubs near Gatwick Airport
Other restaurants near Gatwick Airport

Curries, as we westerners call them, have been made for centuries in the Indian sub-continent both as a staple food and as a highly sophisticated cuisine. There are vast regional variations and numerous well-defined cuisines which each have their own history.

Take as an example the area of Goa in India. The various Hindu, Muslim and Portuguese influences have mixed and merged over the centuries resulting in the distinctive Goan cuisine of today. The famous "vindaloo" was originally a Portuguese dish which has been altered over time to accommodate local tastes and local ingredients.

The spread of curry beyond its home in the sub-continent is inextricably linked to the presence of the British Raj in India. Army personnel and civil servants acquired a taste for spicy food whilst in India and brought their newly found dishes home (or to other parts of the Empire) with them. The British adapted the local dishes to suit their own tastes. Mulligatawny soup, for example, is an Anglicised version of its more pungent Indian forbear which was actually a type of sauce. Similarly, kedgeree was originally a rice and lentil dish but was adapted by the British to be a breakfast dish containing fish.

In terms of modern history the popularity of curry in the UK and elsewhere is surely linked to the rise of the "Indian" restaurant. Yet the majority of UK restaurants are run by people of Bangladeshi, not Indian, origin. Their influences are obviously from Bangladesh but the restaurateurs have in turn been influenced by the likes and dislikes of their customers. They have modified dishes and incorporated new dishes from other areas of the sub-continent.

What we call "curry" is now an international dish recognised on every continent. Dishes develop and change according to a host of new influences. For instance, the most popular curry in UK restaurants is Chicken Tikka Masala. Many people would think of it as a typical Indian dish. But it is actually a restaurant invention created in the UK by Bangladeshi restaurateurs. A true hybrid and a recent chapter in the long history of curry.

Curry Bengal Tandoori Takeaway
16 Station Road
Horley
Surrey
RH6 9HL
Tel: 01293 784255

Curry Inn Tandoori
5-6 Central Parade
Massetts Road
Horley
Surrey
RH6 7PP
Tel: 01293 784888

Fort Raj Balti Restaurant
74 Victoria Road
Horley
Surrey
RH6 7PZ
Tel: 01293 822909

Khushboo Indian Restaurant
69 Balcombe Road
Horley
Surrey
RH6 9AB
Tel: 01293 821495.