Etymology
Hannah Glasse's recipe for "Currey the India Way", first published in her 1747 book The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. It is the first known use of the word in English (the recipe uses the long s, "ſ"). The English word "curry" is derived from the Dravidian language family, possibly by way of Dutch carrijl, Portuguese caris or caril, or some combination of these. The Dravidian source may be Tamil கறி kaṟi, ("a spiced mixture with fish, meat or vegetable, eaten with boiled rice"), or a mingled borrowing from multiple Dravidian languages. Other Dravidian languages, namely Malayalam (കറി kari, "hot condiments; meats, vegetables"), Middle Kannada, Kodava, and Telugu have similar words. Kaṟi is described in a 17th-century Portuguese cookbook, based on trade with Tamil merchants along the Coromandel Coast of southeast India, becoming known as a "spice blend... called kari podi or curry powder". The first appearance in its anglicised form (spelt currey) was in Hannah Glasse's 1747 book The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy. The term "curry" is not derived from the name of the curry tree, although some curries do include curry leaves among many other spices. The cookery writer Pat Chapman noted the similarity of the words Karahi or Kadai, an Indian cooking dish shaped like a wok, without giving evidence. "Curry" is not related to the word cury in The Forme of Cury, a 1390s English cookbook; that term comes from the Middle French word cuire, meaning "to cook".
Cultural exchanges
Ancient spice trade in Asia Spice trade Spices on sale in Goa, Western India By 1500 BCE, seafaring merchants from Austronesian communities were already trading spices across the ocean. They sailed between South Asia and East Asia, especially the ports along southeastern India and Sri Lanka, creating some of the world's earliest maritime trade networks. Archaeological discoveries at Mohenjo-daro show that people were using mortar and pestle to grind spices as early as 2600 BCE. They pounded cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, mustard, black peppercorns, saffron, sesame seed, tamarind pods, and turmeric to create spicy flavourings for their food, which included meat, fish, grains, pulses, and fruits. Black pepper is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and has been known to Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE. The three basic ingredients of the spicy stew were ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Using starch grain analysis, archaeologists identified the residue of these spices in both skeletons and pottery shards from excavations in India, finding that turmeric and ginger were present, in what have been called "proto-curries". Sauces in India before Columbus could contain black pepper or long pepper to provide a little heat, but not chili, so they were not spicy hot by modern standards. Medieval Indian proto-curries The 16th century Mughal court of the emperor Akbar ate mild proto-curries, flavoured with asafoetida and spices such as cardamom and ginger. Before Christopher Columbus, Indian dishes were sometimes spicy but they were never hot like many modern curries, as chili peppers were absent, along with tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers and squashes. The proto-curries of medieval pre-Columbian India were diverse but not much like modern international curries. Sambar, for
Types
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in traditional cuisine depends on regional cultural traditions and personal preferences. Such dishes have names such as dopiaza and rogan josh that refer to their ingredients, spicing, and cooking methods. Outside the Indian subcontinent, a curry is a dish from Southeast Asia which uses coconut milk and spice pastes, and is commonly eaten over rice. Curries may contain fish, meat, poultry, or shellfish, either alone or in combination with vegetables. Others are vegetarian. A masala mixture is a combination of dried or dry-roasted spices commonly homemade for some curries. Dry curries are cooked using small amounts of liquid, which is allowed to evaporate, leaving the other ingredients coated with the spice mixture. Wet curries contain significant amounts of sauce or gravy based on broth, coconut cream or coconut milk, dairy cream or yogurt, or legume purée, sautéed crushed onion, or tomato purée. Curry powder, a commercially prepared mixture of spices marketed in the West, was first exported to Britain in the 18th century when Indian merchants sold a concoction of spices, similar to garam masala, to the British East India Company returning to Britain. Other commercial mixes include curry pastes and Japanese-style curry roux (in block or powder form). Ways curries can vary Type of variation From To Mild ↔ Hot Korma (aromatic spices[a]) Madras (chili) Watery ↔ Creamy Rogan josh (broth) Korma (yoghurt or cream) Dry ↔ Wet Tikka (skewered meat, spices) Tikka masala (tomato, cream) Sour ↔ Sweet Dopiaza (onion, lemon) Pasanda (almonds, sugar) Stir-fry ↔ Simmer Balti (oil, onion, potato) Dhansak (lentils, spices, tomato)
By region
United Kingdom Curry in the United Kingdom Chicken tikka masala has been called "a true British national dish". Curry is very popular in the United Kingdom, with a curry house in nearly every town. It was estimated that in 2016 there were 12,000 curry houses, employing 100,000 people and with annual combined sales of approximately £4.2 billion. The food offered is cooked to British taste, but with increasing demand for authentic Indian styles. In 2001, chicken tikka masala was described by the British foreign secretary Robin Cook as "a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences." Its origin is not certain, but many sources attribute it to British Indian restaurants in the 20th century. Curries in Britain are derived partly from India and partly from invention in local Indian restaurants. They vary from mildly-spiced to extremely hot, with names that are to an extent standardised across the country, but are often unknown in India. Zoe Perrett, writing for The Times of India, comments that anyone expecting traditional Indian cuisine from "Brindian" cuisine, a "Bangla spin on Indian regional dishes, twisted still further to tempt British tastebuds", will be disappointed. Variants like "Kashmir" and "Malaya" curry add fruits like banana, lychees, and pineapple. In short, the food might be, Perrett writes, "not Indian at all." Inexpensive curry kits, containing a packet of whole spices, a packet of spice paste, and a pouch of sauce, are sold in British supermarkets, enabling a curry of "exceptional" quality to be cooked quickly at home. Range of strengths of British curries Strength Example Place of origin Date of orig