Great article. I have been grappling with my experiences of the Balti Triangle (Birmingham) in recent years - have had some pretty uninspiring food there including in some of the really big names of the area. I can’t figure out if the food isn’t what it was, or if tastes / pallets have changed. I certainly feel that in Sparkbrook particularly they compete on price first, and quality second, with predictable results.
Either way, pre-COVID the best curry houses in and around Birmingham were doing a fantastic trade and in my experience were attracting a wide range of customers (not just the “lads on the lash” crowds of decades past). I hope they can bounce back. Like so much of hospitality the are utterly dependent on wider social activity; it will be a long road.
Shababs is top for Birmingham Balti. I've been to 'Indian' restaurants all around the country and many of the new wave of street food places too and you can't beat Shababs for balti and Shahi Nan (both Balti Triangle) for a stack of lamb chops at bargain prices! It's not tastes that have changed its the perception of what we should and shouldn't be eating due to trends and the idea that 'balti' isn't authentically 'Indian' so is not valuable in some way. Balti is authentically Brummie Pakistani and the experience for me, feels so much more earthy and culturally connected than a date at Dishoom. The irony!
Great article. I have been grappling with my experiences of the Balti Triangle (Birmingham) in recent years - have had some pretty uninspiring food there including in some of the really big names of the area. I can’t figure out if the food isn’t what it was, or if tastes / pallets have changed. I certainly feel that in Sparkbrook particularly they compete on price first, and quality second, with predictable results.
Either way, pre-COVID the best curry houses in and around Birmingham were doing a fantastic trade and in my experience were attracting a wide range of customers (not just the “lads on the lash” crowds of decades past). I hope they can bounce back. Like so much of hospitality the are utterly dependent on wider social activity; it will be a long road.
Shababs is top for Birmingham Balti. I've been to 'Indian' restaurants all around the country and many of the new wave of street food places too and you can't beat Shababs for balti and Shahi Nan (both Balti Triangle) for a stack of lamb chops at bargain prices! It's not tastes that have changed its the perception of what we should and shouldn't be eating due to trends and the idea that 'balti' isn't authentically 'Indian' so is not valuable in some way. Balti is authentically Brummie Pakistani and the experience for me, feels so much more earthy and culturally connected than a date at Dishoom. The irony!
Excellent work on the politics of national dishes
Very interesting article. Did curry houses in other Western countries originate in the same way?
I actually don't know the answer to this, given I don't know much about curry house culture in other countries. I do know in the US many restaurants which are labelled Indian are run by Pakistanis as a form of economic necessity (see Mahira River's article on this in Whetstone https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/journal/midnight-chicken-and-other-ruminations-about-pakistani-cuisine)
Brilliant writing--thank you!