When the British left India, one of the things they took back to England was mulligatawny soup, a weak version of the real thing, milagu-tannir, a peppery soup. The British still love Indian food. Many Indians now live in Britain and there are restaurants everywhere serving all the specialities, such as samosa (a deep-fried vegetable pasty), curry and naan (Indian bread). Indian food is found everywhere that Indians have migrated to: Europe, Africa, the West Indies, Australia and America.

Mughlai food, which is typical of the north of India, is thought to be particularly mouth-watering, with biryani (rice cooked with meat), fragrant korma (meat curry) and melt-in-the-mouth kebabs. As its name implies, Mughlai food owes much to India's Mughal rulers.

In south India, dosas (pancakes made of ground rice and lentils), idlis (steamed rice cakes) with sambhar (a thin gravy made of vegetables and lentils) are welcome at any meal.

In Calcutta, on the east coast, fish is imaginatively cooked in many ways. Dohi maach is a fish dish made with yoghurt and mustard seeds. Calcutta is also famous for its desserts, which are quite different from those made elsewhere in the world. They are made from milk, curds, cheese, syrup, clarified butter and flour, which make a delicious, but very fattening end to a meal.

“In the English-speaking World”