25th June 2012
A West Midlands city is looking to enjoy a similar status to that of
Melton Mowbray and
Wensleydale - it is of course
Birmingham and the corresponding food is the Balti. If it succeeds in its aim the city's famous dish will be protected under a European Union status, which would mean that only those cooking it in the traditional Birmingham way would be able to call it by such a name.
But what does this tell us about
British cuisine and the way in which the UK population likes to eat? Well it has long been considered that curry is one of our national dishes, more so even than fish and chips, with people up and down the country tucking into Baltis and biryanis on a regular basis. It is thought that the first Balti was served in Birmingham in 1977 by an immigrant called Mohammed Ajaib and from then on has evolved into something typically British.
Is it any wonder that the exotic spices and flavours which were brought over to this country by immigrants were taken so much to our hearts when traditional British food has the reputation of being a little bland? Britain is a magpie nation when it comes to food with some of today's staple meals coming from Italy, France and beyond. So if we stole curries from the Indians then can we expect the Balti to be protected as something of our own?
Well the truth is that although the general concept of curry and the flavours came from India, the Brits have adapted it and made it their own. A Balti may be as unrecognisable to an Indian as their national food as a pork pie is, with curry having been adapted to suit the British palate. The Birmingham Balti Association hope that after the current 12-week consultation the Balti will join around 50 other products from the UK on the list of those protected.
