The 1793 recipe book was discovered in the archives at Downside Abbey, Somerset
The cookbook dates back to the 18th century Photo: Downside Abbey Archives
4:33PM GMT 13 Jan 2016
Monks have discovered an early curry recipe dating back to 1793 in a forgotten household cookbook.
The instructions for chicken curry are among 142 recipes compiled by the cook for an elite family in the Georgian period and only just unearthed by Benedictine monks at Downside Abbey in Radstock, Somerset.
The book is part of a private collection donated to the Abbey by the descendants of a family who lived in Begbrook House near Bristol, which was burnt down by suffragettes in 1913.
The recipe for chicken curry calls for butter, rice powder and veal gravy Photo: Downside Abbey Archives
The recipe book was written 46 years after the first curry recipe in English, by Hannah Glasse in 1747.
The Begbrook House recipe calls for ingredients including rice powder, curry powder and veal gravy.
"It’s in a pretty good condition, but there are a few splatters of something or other all over it."
Dr Simon Johnson
While curry remains a popular meal in Britain, some of the other recipes, such as boiled calf's head and turtle soup, have gone out of fashion.
Monk Dom Christopher Calascione recreated one of the recipes this week - a local Bath delicacy, the Sally Lunn bread bun, even following the advice to pat "the tops over with a feather dipt into the yolk of an egg".
The book was discovered by the monastery during efforts to categorise their archive and library.
The book was found at Downside Abbey Photo: Downside Abbey Archives
Dr Simon Johnson, keeper of the Abbey's archives and library said: "You can tell it’s been very well used. It’s in a pretty good condition, but there are a few splatters of something or other all over it."
The book contained a wide range of recipes, he added.
“It’s in the hand of the actual cook and there’s a variety of recipes such as plum loaf and how to cure a ham.
“It seems to be a working kitchen cookbook as opposed to being for special occasions.”
The chicken curry recipe might turn out different to today's takeaway fare Photo: Alamy
He said the book might now be published because it had attracted so much interest.
“It’s evoked so much interest because it’s a Georgian, Regency cookbook,” he said.
"I think people are generally interesting in the more domestic parts of history. The social history is forgotten - the day to day running of a house."
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