"in the 1970s, "country captain" would have been the most popular dish served at fancy dinner parties in Charleston, South Carolina. As recipes go, it's a Southern variation of classic chicken curry, but it seems to have originated elsewhere. Interestingly, country captain gets its name not from the South but from 19th-century India, when ships on the trade route between India and China were known as "country ships." Thus, the captains sailing the country ships were supposedly called "country captains.""
"Although it's unclear whether the ships' captains brought the Indian recipe for browned chicken in curry to America, a variation of the meal first appeared in an 1857 cookbook published in Philadelphia. It showed up again in several other 19th-century cookbooks, but in 1905, chef Alessandro Filippini of Delmonico's restaurant in New York published his version, which added green bell peppers, roasted almonds, and dried currants. It then became the standard recipe that's known today."
"Country captain drifted down South when Mary "Miss Mamie" Bullard adjusted Filippini's recipe by adding tomatoes and served the dish at society dinner parties. In 1924, Franklin D. Roosevelt was receiving polio treatments in Warm Springs, Georgia, where Bullard had a summer home, and she served him the dish. It became his favorite meal, which he then served to his own guests, including General George S. Patton."
Country captain is a Southern adaptation of chicken curry that traces name origins to 19th-century India, where "country ships" and their captains traversed trade routes between India and China. A variation appeared in an 1857 Philadelphia cookbook and later in several 19th-century cookbooks. In 1905 Alessandro Filippini at Delmonico's added green bell peppers, roasted almonds, and dried currants, creating the familiar version. Mary "Miss Mamie" Bullard later added tomatoes and popularized the dish at Southern society dinner parties. Franklin D. Roosevelt favored the meal during 1924 polio treatments and served it to guests such as General George S. Patton, aiding its spread.
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