Press Releases

15 February 2005

Kew Gardens celebrates Asian culture and its influence on British life

What’s the real story behind the South Asian plants that have transformed British life? Plant Cultures aims to find out what curry leaf, henna, indigo, marigold and tea mean to us.

The BBC’s Konnie Huq and Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha have backed a new project called Plant Cultures launched by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Culture Online.

From cotton to curry, Britain and Asia have been exchanging ideas, people and plants for more than 400 years. Now, Kew Gardens and Culture Online bring that shared experience together in an inspiring new project called Plant Cultures – www.plantcultures.org.uk.

Twenty-five South Asian plants provide the catalyst to bring people and plants together and open up a world of Asian life and culture online. Through the internet and an extensive outreach programme, Plant Cultures encourages people to share their personal stories, recipes, images and folklore.

Entertaining and informative stories from the allotment to the medicine chest, and from memory and tradition, sit alongside fascinating facts about plants and rarely seen images. The project website promises to become a compelling and growing online treasury for anyone interested in plant cultures.

Flamboyant chef, Keith Floyd, author Vicky Bhogal, and Ayurvedic therapist Bharti Vyas have all supported the initiative by offering their own top tips and personal stories.

Professor Monique Simmonds, Kew science co-ordinator, said: “We hope that Plant Cultures will be an inspiration for people of all ages, and especially British Asians, to get excited about plants and their place in our lives. We use plants in our everyday life without a second thought. This project recognises just how important they are to our culture – from our daily cuppa, the sugar to go in it, or the ingredients of curry, our favourite national dish – to the place we worship, the colour of our jeans – and for some of us, our hair!”

Estelle Morris, Arts Minister, said: “The internet is a powerful resource and Plant Cultures, commissioned by Culture Online, shows how technology can be used to bring people together to share their knowledge and personal stories.”

Further inspiration to get involved in the project is provided by events, workshops, garden visits and trails put together by Kew’s partners in the project, museums and environmental projects in Leicester, London, Liverpool and Bradford.

A huge and important image library of prints, paintings, drawings and artefacts completes the project, drawn from collections at Kew Library, the British Library, the Natural History Museum, the Wellcome Library and the Victoria and Albert Museum, many digitally accessible for the first time.

Also on the website, themed sections explain the cultural relevance of plants in our history, religion, health and cookery, while tips for teachers support more formal national curriculum links.

Plant Cultures – at www.plantcultures.org.uk, is commissioned by Culture Online, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and enables Kew Gardens to link just one part of its vast store of knowledge to a wider audience. Plant Cultures can be shared by adults, children and anyone with a love of learning and brings British Asian communities closer to Kew’s global legacy.

People love Plants

Gurinder Chadha, Director, Bend It Like Beckham

"I think this is a fantastic project. I cook with so many of the plants in the 25 list and like most Indians cannot live without chillies. I first visited Kew gardens on a school trip many many years ago and found it to be really exotic. I saw grapes growing for the first time in my life and was amazed. I hope this new project will bring in people of all ages and all cultures to this great British family tradition.”

Keith Floyd, chef and cookery writer, Floyd’s Great Curries

“Britain’s multicultural society has enriched our national larder. I have cooked around the world and know the joys of tamarind, holy basil, lotus and marigold, but it wasn’t until my first visit to India that I discovered the aromatic joys of the curry leaf. Fresh curry leaves simmered in a sauce or quickly stir-fried and crunched over, perhaps, a dish of Dhal, are for me, indispensable. Well done Kew Gardens!!”

Konnie Huq, presenter of BBC’s Blue Peter

“My favourite from the 25 plants in Plant Cultures is mango. There's nothing more exciting than slicing into a mango, seeing the bright orange flesh and being intoxicated by its perfume. I love eating mangoes and letting the juice run down my chin but I do have another more ladylike way of enjoying this fruit. First make some home made ice cream for which you will need:

· 1 large carton of double cream (1 pint)
· 8 meringue nests (shop bought)
· 1 tbsp mango juice

Lightly whisk the cream until it thickens and forms peaks. Break up the meringue nests into small chunks and fold into the cream using a large spoon, stirring in a figure of eight. Finally, fold in the mango juice and place in a shallow plastic container. Put in a freezer overnight and eat within a week. Cut 2 mangoes into cubes and serve in pretty bowls beside 2 scoops of the ice cream - heaven!”

Vicky Bhogal, author of Cooking with My Mummyji

“I love Kew Gardens .. and spice .. and Black Pepper is the plant that ultimately led to the great British love affair with “curry” – an anglo word that derives from the Tamil word ‘kari’ which means black pepper. I adore black pepper, especially on juicy watermelon to bring out the sweetness. My favourite black pepper recipe, also my Dad’s favourite, is Saffron, Almond and Cracked Black Pepper Rice.”

Bharti Vyas, Holistic Beauty Therapist and Ayurvedic well-being expert

“It’s wonderful how we can benefit from herbs from the east. When I was a child my mother would always get us to drink cardamom water if we had upset stomachs. Her recipe was to add 12 cardamom pods (look for the green pods) to normal tap water and boil for ten minutes. Leave to cool down and drink at least one glass of water an hour. There is no need to drain the pods.”

Manju Malhi, author of India With Passion

“Research for my book revealed that almost every region uses turmeric either for cooking or for its medicinal properties. It is in everyone’s spice box and an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine, but a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder added to a cup of hot milk and drunk before bedtime is considered the best medicine to clear a cough and other flu symptoms.”

Iqbal Wahhab, Founder, The Cinnamon Club

“Banyan and holy basil have particular significance for me. My grandmother would bless me a life of banyan as this tree has life spanning over a hundred years and is as strong as ever. I remember my mum praying to the holy basil plant in my garden every day: she does even today. Holy basil is worshipped by all Hindu married women for a husband's long life and good health.”

Trudy Norris, National Institute of Medical Herbalists

“Be it in the kitchen, the allotment, the school or the dispensary, plants are the currency of people and communities. The western medical herbalists dispensary would not be complete without the range of herbs and spices offered to us by nature. Projects such as Plant Cultures are fantastic for ensuring we value what the plant kingdom can offer us and that traditional usage is not forgotten.”