Railway Lamb curry
- Mar 8, 2021
- 3 min read
Written by: Stefania Piccardo, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
This renowned iconic dish of Indian cuisine still surprises us today for its simplicity and for its robust spicy taste. But why is it called Railway Lamb curry? This special dish finds its roots in the colonial era when in the late 19th century and early 1900's, the chefs used to cook on the railways during long journeys on the trains.
It actually started in the far 1857, when an engineer called Robert Maitland Brerenton was ordered to build the most extensive network of railways all over India to connect this huge and amazing country from end to end to facilitate commerce but mostly to speed up otherwise exhausting and endless trips up and down the country. The 6,400km network would have a high impact on the hospitality industry, but also it was a milestone in creating culinary memories for both British and Indians alike for generations. in fact, as the railway journeys were very popular among the British upper classes, the trains were fully equipped with restaurants, chefs, butlers, waiters ready to serve and impress the aristocratic British colonialists.
It wasn't until the Frontier mail (Golden temple mail after independence) that the restaurant on wheels upped its game with inimitable recipes and luxurious facilities such as a shower, bedrolls, and even a steam room! Inaugurating its journey in 1928, it used to connect Bomabi to Peshawar, in the North west India at the time (today in Pakistan). The Golden temple mail still runs today from Mumbai (Maharashtra) to Amritsar in Punjab where, thanks to the Golden temple, takes its name.
Since then Railway lamb curry has kept its name in memory of the colonial era and it is still enjoyed by all until today.
Interesting facts: The Allahabad-Jabalpur branch line of the East Indian Railway that opened in June 1867 was the first of Brereton’s 6,400 km rail network. Officially opened on 7 March 1870, it became the inspiration for French writer Jules Verne’s book Around the World in Eighty Days.
Stefania Piccardo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Stefania Piccardo obtained her PhD in English language and literature from La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. During her academic years, she worked for Scottish distilleries and castles as a tour guide in multiple languages. Her love for Scotland brought her back to Aberdeen in 2003, where she obtained an MSc in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs from Robert Gordon University.
She then worked for multiple organizations but soon realized that she wanted to teach languages privately to the corporate level. Stefania has helped many students achieve the best grades in school and university but most of all she has the ambition to train corporate employees who deal with import/export, foreign trade or want to develop their career and expand their horizons for more opportunities in Europe and beyond. She speaks four languages including Italian, her mother tongue, English, French and Spanish and she has founded Language tutor4U back in 2012.
In addition to her teaching schedule, she works as a PR/Marketing manager for Namaste Delhi, the innovative and traditional Indian restaurant she owns along with her husband in Aberdeen City center since 2018. As a keen writer, she also enjoys feeding social media posts and writing for her blogs about Italian and Indian cultures, languages and much more!
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