Introducing " TIFFIN TIME "

At the end of 2008, I left London to settle in Urrugne with my husband David who is from St Jean de Luz and our two sons aged 3 and 6.

 

It was a complete change of scenery but in my family moving is  very common.

 

From the 1890s, many Gujarati workers were hired "voluntarily" by the British and transported to the colonies of East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) to work on the construction of railways. So I was born in Kampala, the capital of Uganda on the shores of Lake Victoria. Unfortunately, the country which had been independent since 1962 suffered a coup d'état in 1971. Under the new leader, Idi Amin “Dada”, the regime became tyrannical and bloodthirsty, forcing the population of Indian origin into exile. In 1972, my family was therefore dispersed to the four corners of the world; we were welcomed by England, and others from my family went to the United States, Australia or Canada.

 

Of course, coming from London with its multicultural shops open 7 days a week, arriving in Urrugne was a  culture shock. On days when we wanted to eat Indian food, we couldn't find the right spices and ingredients: even the basmati rice is not the same!

 

Luckily, the Basque Country which is not lacking in attractions meant many friends and family visited regularly so their bags and cars were often full of extras! Bags of rice, chapati flour, spices and sometimes even certain vegetables that I cannot find here!

 

Over the years I have noticed that our friends from the Basque Country are quite keen to discover and taste my cuisine, provided it is not too spicy. So I've decided to launch 'TIFFIN TIME  offering vegetarian dishes, sometimes traditional, sometimes fusion, but always authentic and inspired by my family or my friends.

 

The menu will also serve as a pretext for a little lesson in history or culture. So come on board with me to discover my family's recipes from all over the world!