The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook

This week in the in the mail I received The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook by  Flora Annie Steel and Grace Gardiner. This might not be to everyone's reading taste, but if you need first hand information about Victorian households in India, this is a good place to start. In particular I wanted to know more about what Victorian Brits in India actually ate. This book has meal plans and recipes for everything from Brains au Gratin, to Creme Frite and Dal Poorie.
 

 

Flora Annie Steel

Coauthor Flora Annie Steel is unlike the more common images of the Victorian memsahib as a retiring, delicate flower. Instead Steel took on India with great energy. She married Henry William Steel, a member of the India Civil Service, and lived in India for twenty-two years, mainly in the Punjab. Not only did she learn the local languages, she urged educational reforms, was interested in Native women's lives, including their handicrafts and stories. She also worked informally as a medical practicioner and wrote many books about India including On The Face of the Waters, about the Indian Mutiny, and Tales of the Punjab, a collection of Punjabi folklore. 

 

Illustration from Mrs. Beeton's Guide

Lucky for anyone interested in the daily running of the Victorian woman in India's household, Steel also co-authored The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook, a practicial guide advice for young women setting up a household in India. It includes details on how to handle servants, plan a menu, manage young children as well as general hints for the preservation of health. Who can resist gems like Steel and Gardiner's suggestion for women to get enough exercise: "A languid stroll from drawing-room to your carriage and back is not sufficient to keep your organism going." The book is like Mrs. Beeton's Guide for Household Management but specific to the sub-continent. 
 
Like any good primary source reserach material, the book offers more than just specific research details; it reflects the attitudes of the Empire, specifically of British women living in India. Although these attitudes often make the modern reader uncomfortable (the book includes a section on "managing native servants"), it is still fascinating research material.