Person    | Male  Born 1759  Died 1851

Sake Dean Mahomed

A Bengali Muslim, he joined the East India Company aged 11, where he served as a solder and fought a few times. Resigned in 1782 and two years later with his friend from the army Captain Godfrey Evan Baker, travelled to Ireland where he published 'The Travels of Dean Mahomet' and married a Protestant Irish girl and converted. They came to London where he introduced a therapeutic massage, or champi ('shampoo') which became all the rage.

In 1810 he opened the Hindoostane Coffee House, serving Indian-style food; we are unclear whether it served any actual coffee. It seems not to have been a success since he was declared bankrupt in 1812. The food served was a hybrid of Indian and British food and perhaps it did not appeal to either nationality. Things have changed: it's often said that the food served in modern-day Indian restaurants in the UK is not real Indian food but an Anglicised version which is certainly very popular. Mahomed moved to Brighton where he reverted to his successful champi and treated, among others, George IV and William IV, and where he later died.

From Daily JSOR we can add: "Sake Dean Mahomet (Sheikh Din Muhammad) was born in Patna, in what is now the Indian state of Bihar, in 1759. At age eleven, he joined the service of an Anglo-Irish officer in the army of the British East India Company, campaigning in Bengal. In 1787, Mahomet accompanied the officer back to Ireland. .... Mahomet lived in Cork for twenty years. He and his family moved to London in 1807.... His only other publication was an 1822 tract—on the benefits of shampooing."

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Sake Dean Mahomed

Creations i

First curry house

Site of Hindoostane Coffee House 1810 London's first Indian restaurant. Owne...

Read More

Other Subjects

2i's coffee bar

2i's coffee bar

Birthplace of British rock 'n roll and the popular music industry. Mickie Most started as a singing waiter here. Owen Adams provides a huge amount of information.

Place, Community / Clubs, Food & Drink, Music / songs

1 memorial
Fatberg

Fatberg

You'll note that we have described this thing as a "Concept" - which it clearly isn't.  When we set up our Subject Types (Person, Event, Building, etc.) we did not foresee the need for for the Type...

Concept, Engineering, Food & Drink

1 memorial
Admiral Duncan pub bombing

Admiral Duncan pub bombing

Well known as a gay pub, the Admiral Duncan was the site chosen by Neo-Nazi David Copeland to detonate a nail bomb which killed three people and wounded 70. Copeland, who was also responsible for ...

Event, Commerce, Community / Clubs, Food & Drink, Gender Issues, Terrorism, Tragedy

3 memorials
John Courage

John Courage

Born Aberdeen.  Came to London in 1780 as a shipping agent.  He bought the Private House and Old Brewhouse at Horselydown in 1787 and developed it into a thriving business.  Died London.

Person, Commerce, Food & Drink, Scotland

1 memorial
Manze's pie and mash shops

Manze's pie and mash shops

The Manze family came to Bermondsey from Ravello in Italy. Initially they were ice-merchants, and then ice-cream makers. Michele Manze branched out and opened their first eel, pie and mash shop in ...

Group, Commerce, Food & Drink, Italy

2 memorials

Previously viewed

G. S. Alexander, Tpr.

G. S. Alexander, Tpr.

Imperial Camel Corps, New Zealand Contingent, 3rd Battalion

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Edward Frank Hill
War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Charles T. Hancock
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Harry Arthur Petty
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
Frederick Whitaker
War dead, WW1
1 memorial