Believe it or not, Indian food has been part and parcel of the USA since the first South Asians arrived in North America just a decade after the founding of the Jamestown colony in 1607. Indian restaurants in the USA evolved from the early British-themed “curry houses” to the typical establishments of the 1960s and 70s based on Indian models and to today’s progressive globally-inspired restaurants run by Michelin-starred chefs. At our Online Talk #AmericanDesi, author and culinary historian Colleen Taylor Sen explores the history of Indian food in the USA from the arrival of the first Asian Indians in the early 17th century to the present and profiles some of the interesting characters who ran these restaurants.

Please note: The talk link will be shared a couple of hours before the event. 

About the speaker

Born in Toronto, Colleen Taylor Sen is a Chicago-based author and culinary historian focusing on the food of the Indian subcontinent. She is the author of seven books, including Food Culture in India; Curry: A Global History; Turmeric: The Wonder Spice; and A Guide to Indian Restaurant Menus. She is co-editor of Street Food around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture and The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. She is also co-editor of the forthcoming Companion of Indian Food. Her book, Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India, was selected as one of the best food books of the year by Vogue and The Smithsonian Magazine and called one of the essential books on Indian food by Madhur Jaffrey.