The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook
ISBN13: 9780199605767ISBN10: 0199605769
Paperback,
400 pages
Also available:
Hardback
Nov 2011,
In Stock
Price:
$13.95 (11)See more from the series
Description
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.Features
- The Mrs Beeton of British India, Flora Annie Steel and her companion Grace Gardiner's book of household management for memsahibs offers a fascinating insight into the daily life of Anglo-Indians and their servants under the Raj.
- An entertaining guide to the duties of mistress and servant, the book is also a fascinating document of colonial relations.
- Includes advice on the storeroom, accounts, meals, gardening, camp life, clothing, cookery, and recipes, tempered with personal anecdotes and glimpses into the lives of the two remarkable authors in the 1880s and 1890s.
- A lively introduction looks at Steel's life and writings and other imperial manuals and books on cooking and empire, and illuminates the connections which the book makes explicit between running a domestic household in India and running the British Empire.
- Explanatory Notes cover everything from the late nineteenth-century pharmacopeia, kitchen, and laundry cupboard to geographical, historical, and political contexts.
- Includes a glossary of Indian terms.
About the Author(s)
Ralph Crane is Professor of English at the University of Tasmania. Anna Johnston is Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellow in English at the University of Tasmania.
