Curry is a history of the Indian sub-continent and its various rulers through history of its food. It is also the story of curry as it spread from the courts of Delhi to the Balti houses of Birmingham, from the tiffin carriers of Bombay to the army canteens of Japan. Lizzie Collingham's 'Curry A Biography' is an utterly fascinating, original and accessible history of a food and a culture: the story of India's many cuisines as well as the creation of Britain's most popular food.

Curry is the product of India's long history on invasion. In the wake of the Mughal conquerors, an army of cooks brought rice dishes to northern India. Portuguese spice merchants introduced vinegar marinades and the chillies that had recently been discovered by Christopher Columbus in the New World. The British Raj soon followed with their passion for roast meat accompanied by cauliflower and beans; they also added jam and apples to their curry recipes. When these new ingredients were mixed with native spices such as cardamoms and black pepper, they produced those distinctively Indian dishes - biryani, vindaloo and jalfrezi. Almost every Indian dish is the product of such fusion of different food traditions.

Curry: A biography tells the story of an array of familiar Indian dishes and the people, who invented, discovered, cooked and ate them. The British relished the kaleidoscope: indiscriminately, they called everything 'curry' and took it back to Britain where it became a staple of the Victorian dinner party. Later, after the second world war, Bangladeshi seamen, by opening Indian restaurants and take-aways in London's East End, helped to make curry Britain's new national dish.

Curry is packed with colourful characters, from Elizabeth Gwillims's Indian servants who refused to serve hare for a dinner party, to culinary rivalry between the courts of Lucknow and Delhi; from the Rajah who loved roast black rat, to a young Gandhi surviving in London on a diet of porridge. Rich with anecdote, this meticulously researched book is vivid, entertaining and delicious!

Lizzie Collingham is a research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge. Her doctor thesis was a study of the 'nabobs' of the British Raj. In addition to her impeccable scholarship, she writes with a lightness of touch, which will ensure that Curry will appeal to historians and foodies alike.