The story
Mulligatawny began in Madras, now Chennai, in the 18th century. Its name comes from the Tamil for 'pepper water', a spicy broth related to rasam. British East India Company officers expected a soup course at dinner, and the Indian cooks working for them turned the thin local broth into something heartier, adding meat and thickening it. A British soldier's song mentions it by 1784. Officials returning home brought the taste with them: by 1810 it was served at London's first Indian restaurant, and by the 1820s it was fashionable in Britain. It later became a tinned soup and an Anglo-Indian classic.
Also known as mulligatawny soup, milagu thanni, pepper water, mullagatawny.
On the Meridish menu
Mulligatawny was the soup course on menu No. 21 on October 21, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Spiced 'pepper water' turned into a hearty curry soup for colonial officers. Cooks in this southern port adapted a local peppery broth to British tastes in the 1700s.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulligatawny
- livehistoryindia.com/story/living-culture/mulligatawny-the-soup-of-an-empire
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
