WHEN Britain withdrew from India in 1947, it didn’t leave behind its taste for curry. Generations of soldiers and civil servants had acquired a fondness for the fiery dishes of the subcontinent, and they carried that passion home with them.
Today, Britain is a nation of curry fanatics — it’s said there are more Indian restaurants in London than in Delhi and Mumbai combined. And some aficionados say the capital’s curries surpass those of the motherland.
During the colonial years, the British quickly discovered that their traditional mealtime routines needed adjusting to suit India’s humid days and sultry nights. Lunch evolved into a lighter affair.
But what to call this midday bite? The answer was “tiffin,” a word borrowed from “tiffing,” an old English slang term for sipping diluted spirits. Why “luncheon” never caught on remains a mystery.
Soon, “a spot of tiffin” came to mean any snack or small indulgence between breakfast and dinner — not unlike the Filipino merienda.
That custom endures among expatriate Britons across the globe, including here in the Philippines.
Every month, the Manila British and Commonwealth Club — the country’s oldest membership club, with roots stretching back more than 140 years — hosts a Curry Tiffin lunch in the Heritage Room of the Elks Club in Makati.
The ritual began around 1893 with the Tiffin Club, a sister organization. Except for the war years, curry devotees in Manila have savored authentic Indian dishes nearly every month since. When the Tiffin Club closed in 1956, the Manila Club took over, ensuring the tradition lived on.
It isn’t only the British who relish the Friday curry spread. Filipinos and other nationalities have long joined in, with American members of the Elks Club — also known as the American Club in the Philippines — especially prominent among the regulars.
The club’s caterer, Esrael “Ace” Vergara, says the club offers a wide variety of curries including beef rendang, beef vindaloo, chicken molee, chicken tandoori and beef kofta. “Many of the recipes have been passed down from one chef to the next over the decades,” he says.
Meanwhile, in India, “tiffin” remains a common word for any light meal or snack taken throughout the day.
Millions of workers still carry their tiffin in stacked metal or ceramic boxes, each compartment holding a different dish. These containers are now found across Southeast Asia, and the trend is even catching on in Europe.
