When a food vendor asked for some sauce and curry powder from English Soldiers in Post-war Berlin, culinary magic happened. Here is a thread about a German icon you might not be familiar with. #travellingsOftheIndianCurry 1/n
On a scale of 1 to 10 Berlin Street food must be somewhere at the very top, its various nooks and corners are teeming with joints and cafés serving all kinds of food from the doner kebab to the Japanese vegan waffle. 2/n
The item, however, which can be considered at the center of Berlin’s gastronomic pleasure is something called the Currywurst. 3/n
The magic happens when a grilled sausage is cut into pieces and mixed with curry powder, tomato paste, and other spices and is accompanied by some French fries to form the perfect comfort food. 4/n
The story of the curry powder is an ingenuity of the colonial era and though most Indians would most likely denounce its usage preferring to work with original spices, the powder’s global patronage cannot be denied. 5/n
In 1949, Berlin was a divided city. Filled with construction workers, migrants from other cities and towns, and foreign soldiers, the city was struggling to get back to its feet. 6/n
In the midst of this, a young food vendor, Herta Heuwer from West Berlin, in her bid to add some innovative flavour to her bland fried sausages, traded alcohol with someone from the British sector, for some curry powder. 7/n
Heuwer started selling the curry powdered sausages to the construction workers in the borough of Charlottenburg where it first became popular. It was filling, cheap, and easy to get and soon everyone wanted to taste it. 8/n
Heuwer patented the sauce under the name Chillup. At its height, her shop sold more than ten thousand packs of currywurst every week. Over the years, the snack’s origin has been disputed. 9/n
In Uwe Timm’s novel, The Invention of Curried Sausage, a woman called Lena Brücker is said to have perfected the Currywurst sauce a couple of years before Heuwer did hers. 10/n
The city of Hamburg has also laid claim to the famed snack, saying the ketchup which is integral to the dish landed first in the Ruhr region with the American GIs. 11/n
Whatever may be its origin, there is no denying that the snack is a German icon with its own dedicated museum – the Deutsches Currywurst Museum, including a song by German Musician Herbert Grönemeyer. 12/n
Around 800 million sausages are consumed every year in Germany. The snack’s growth and popularity reflect the German people's mentality to move beyond the past and embrace something new and make it their own. Make sure to have one when you are in Berlin. 13/n
Larger-than-life cutouts are a staple of Tamil cinema.
A ritual. A spectacle. But the very first cutout wasn’t of a male superstar. It was of a woman in a silk saree. And it stood for something much bigger than fandom. Thread.
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This is a story of one filmmaker’s relentless resistance to caste system. In 1940, Tamil director Krishnasamy Subrahmanyam released Bhaktha Chetha—a mythological film that delivered a message that was anything but mythical. 2/20
The story centered on Chetha, a lowborn cobbler and devotee of Vishnu living near Hastinapur. Played by the legendary Papanasam Sivan, Chetha’s journey to divine grace challenged everything the caste system stood for. 3/20
We all grew up hearing stories about Mullah Nasreddin — the man on a donkey, armed with wit sharper than any sword, who used humour to reveal deeper truths. This very character once became the face of a bold magazine. A magazine that dared to question everything. 1/23
He’s a familiar figure across the Muslim world. Nasreddin appears in countless stories across the Muslim world — sometimes clever, sometimes foolish, always memorable. His tales are rich in subtle humour and gentle wisdom. 2/23
Many of us might also recall Mullah Nasruddin, the beloved TV show on Doordarshan in 1990. Raghubir Yadav played the iconic role, with the legendary Zohra Sehgal as the narrator. The stories made us laugh — and think. 3/23
Veteran actor Manoj Kumar passed away at 3:30 AM yesterday in Mumbai. He is best remembered for his iconic roles in patriotic films, which earned him the nickname "Bharat Kumar." Interestingly, one of the most poignant songs from his films was inspired by a real-life incident. 1/12
Authors @anibhat123 and @vittalbalaji have beautifully documented the story in their book Gata Rahe Mera Dil – 50 Classic Hindi Film Songs. Upkar, the directorial debut of Manoj Kumar, was one of the biggest box office hits of the 1960s. 2/12
Songs like Mere Desh Ki Dharti and Har Khushi Hai Jahan were major hits, but it was Manna Dey’s Kasme Vaade Pyaar Wafaa that received significant critical acclaim at the time—and continues to be praised even today. 3/12
You may have noticed that the hit songs "Tamma Tamma" and "Jhumma Chumma" from the 1990s sound strikingly similar. While both sets of composers claimed credit for their respective versions, the original song and its composer trace back to Guinea. Here’s the real story. 1/13
Around 1995, pubs across Germany and beyond were alive with the beats of Yeke Yeke, a track by the German electronic duo Hardfloor. Topping several charts, this remix was based on Mory Kanté’s iconic Afro-pop song of the same name. 2/13
Let’s rewind a few years. In 1984, Mory Kanté, living in Paris, released his third album, A Paris, and became an overnight sensation. Kanté’s music was a vibrant fusion of traditional African rhythms and modern sounds, creating a irresistible blend that captivated audiences. 3/13
Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating! We marked the day with a delicious plate of Biryani. And perhaps, today is a good time to revisit the origins of an iconic Biryani—and the story of a tragic Indian mother buried in Paris. A thread on a fabled concourse of history.
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Back in 1856, Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of British India, annexed the kingdom of Awadh with the allegation of misadministration and exiled the Last Nawab Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta.
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Wajid Ali Shah arrived in Calcutta, started living in the Metiabruz area with the aid of a pension, built a mini Lucknow around him, inspired the art scene heavily and introduced Thumri and Kathak to Calcutta.
Legend has it that a group of Jews from Kochi once embarked on a secret and daring expedition. Upon their success, the king of Kochi granted them a place to live, a street for the Jews. Now, it is a vibrant tourist destination. 1/14
The story begins with a quarrel & a bit of mischief. The Dutch & the King of Kochi shared an amicable relationship, but one day, that was put to the test. According to Ruby Daniel’s account the king dozed off briefly while listening to the Dutch governor’s ramblings in court 2/14
Kochi has, over time, been controlled by several foreign powers, including the Portuguese, the Dutch, and finally the British. While they ruled much of what is now Fort Kochi, other areas remained under the King of Kochi’s domain. 3/14