The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook

by Flora Annie Steel, Grace Gardiner, Ralph J. Crane (Editor)

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, 19th Century, Cookbooks

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1888

About the author

Flora Annie Steel was an English writer. She was the daughter of George Webster. In 1867 she married Henry William Steel, a member of the Indian civil service, and for the next twenty-two years lived in India, chiefly in the Punjab, with which most of her books are connected.

When her husband's health was weak, Flora Annie Steel looked after some of his responsibilities. She acted as school inspector and mediator in local arguments.

She was interested in relating to all classes of Indian society. The birth of her daughter gave her a chance to interact with local women and learn their language.
She encouraged the production of local handicrafts and collected folk-tales, a collection of which she published in 1884.

Her interest in schools and the education of women gave her a special insight into native life and character. A year before leaving India, she co-authored and published The Complete Indian Housekeeper, giving detailed directions to European women on all aspects of household management in India.

In 1889 the family moved back to Scotland, and she continued her writing there.

Reviews

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an old, classic book that was a must have "Bible" in its day for young British women who were embarking upon married life in India as it gave a host of practical advice for how to "run house" in 1880s British-India.

So why publish it again over 120 years later? Well apart from being an historical curiosity about how things were done "way back then" it still can impart some practical hints and tips that can be equally valid, perhaps with adaptation, in these more modern times. Society has changed, of course, in the intervening years and this book should not be seen as somehow celebrating the "good old days" but one should equally not rewrite history and just learn from the past and live for the present and future.

The reader is thought to be inexperienced and thus she, as it would be a she who is the target reader, is "instructed" in all matters of managing the house and assigning duties to maids and servants as required. One does not receive gentle encouragement or suggestion but one is effectively instructed on how things are done and how they should be done.

Before one is transported back to Victorian British-India, one receives some context through a long introduction to the authors and life in general as well as a chance to familiarise matters through a comprehensive chronology of events in British-Indian society from around the time the book was originally published. Explanatory notes also provide enhanced context to references that at the time would have ordinarily needed no explanation.

It is fair to say that much of this book would have equally been found in a contemporary general guide for a young woman setting up house for the first time, however it has been specifically written and expanded upon for the differences of expatriate life at the time. A light is shined in British-Indian society with the expectations, prejudices and solutions that were the norm.

This is more than a recipe book - much more as recipes are but a part - and it even gives instructions on how to train one's local staff to make specific British delicacies that the poor natives may never have tried before. The recipes that are presented are typical for their time and are relatively abridged, abrupt and to the point. Yet it might be an interesting exercise to take some of the less common recipes and maybe bring them back into today's usage. Naturally some classic favourites never die, even if they have been changed by generations of cooks.

If you are happy that this is not just a cookbook or a specific introduction to British-Indian food, and retain an open mind to past historical events and such information, this will be a thrilling little book that will undoubtedly have you exclaiming and reading extracts aloud to nearby companions! A highly recommended little tome.

The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook, written by Flora Annie Steel & Grace Gardiner and published by Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-955014-2, 400 pages. Typical price: GBP12.99.


// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were a young woman hoping to find husband in India during the latter part of the 19th century and had been given a copy of this book before I headed out on the long voyage from England, I'd have said, "No thank you, and stayed home." A fascinating look at what was expected of an English wife/memsahib in India, although sometimes filled with more detail than I needed. Pretty daunting reading for a young woman who'd never been responsible for a home even in England where things were much easier, more familiar, than in India in the days of the Raj.

[Monabi Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Politically incorrect for 2018 and particularly so for someone Indian like me. Still, I suppose they thought they were raising a benighted nation to civilisation. A racy read, especially the recipes, including the directions for the boiling of a sheep head. No wonder the Raj died of cholera and dysentry!

[Camilla]

Good research for insight into the women of the Raj’s mindset. The racism is shocking. The details are abundant.

[Mary Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, appalling and often useful!

[Andru · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 IndianHousekeeper 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.