31 March 2009

The Settler's Cookbook: From India to Uganda to Britain, a Personal Journey through food

6pm, Saturday, April 4th, 2009.
Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee

Shepherd's Pie spiced up by chilli and ketchup-containing curry are just two of the hybrid recipes that author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown will use to tell the story of her family’s nomadic history in the latest University of Dundee Saturday Evening Lecture.

Her book, The Settler’s Cookbook: A Memoir of Love, Migration and Food brings to life her complicated family story by describing the food they cooked, a theme she will explore in her talk on Saturday.

Much more than a mere collection of recipes, The Settler’s Cookbook mixes cooking with history and politics. It contains, among other politically-charged dishes, a recipe for Idi Amin’s favourite stew given to the author by one of the despot’s mistresses.

Yasmin’s family were part of the mass exodus from India to East Africa at the height of British expansion. Fleeing famine and lured by the prospect of prosperity under the imperial regime, they settled in Uganda - where Yasmin was born - before being expelled by Amin in 1972.

The family then headed for the UK and Yasmin now resides with her husband and children in London.

The food she now cooks, in one of the world's most ethnically-diverse cities, combines the traditions and tastes of her family's journey and can be seen as a metaphor for migration, as seemingly incongruous ingredients are blended together to breathe new life into traditional fare.

An award-winning journalist and author, Yasmin has written extensively on subjects such as race, multiculturalism and human rights for several publications. She also regularly appears on radio and television.

The lecture takes place in the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill, at 6 pm on Saturday. Admission is free and all are welcome. Tickets are available from the Tower Building reception at the University, the Borders book store at Gallagher Retail Park in Dundee, and though the University’s online store - http://www.buyat.dundee.ac.uk.

Anyone seeking further information should contact the Events office at the University - tel 01382 388046.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk