Curry - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian

Indian cuisine

Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...

, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines. The chief spices found in most South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

n curry powders are turmeric

Turmeric

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...

, coriander

Coriander

Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...

, and cumin

Cumin

Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...

; a wide range of additional spices may be included depending on the geographic region and the foods being included (white/red meat, fish, lentils, rice and vegetables).

Curry's popularity in recent decades has spread outward from Southern Asia to figure prominently in international cooking. Consequently, each culture has adopted spices in its indigenous cooking to suit its own unique tastes and cultural sensibilities. Curry can therefore be called a pan-Asian or global

Globalization

Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...

phenomenon with immense popularity in Thai, British

British cuisine

English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, largely due to the importation of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China, and India...

, Japanese

Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...

and Caribbean

Caribbean cuisine

Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, British, Spanish, French, Dutch, Indian, and Chinese cuisine. These traditions were brought from the many homelands of this region's population...

cuisines.

Etymology

The word "curry" is an anglicised version of the Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

word (கறி) meaning 'sauce', which is usually understood to mean vegetables/meat cooked with spices with or without a gravy.

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

is a term used loosely to describe the areas encompassed by the countries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Andhra cuisine

Andhra cuisine is spicy and has a unique flavour, although there are regional variations in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

cuisine. Telangana

Telangana

Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...

in the west of Andhra Pradesh has dishes like Ambali, jonna rotte/jowar bread, sajja rotte/bread from sajja grains, and hyderabadi biryani. In this region, the curry is flavored with spices like clove

Clove

Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world...

, cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

, nutmeg

Nutmeg

The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...

, anise

Anise

Anise , Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor resembles that of liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.- Biology :...

, and bay leaf

Bay leaf

Bay leaf refers to the aromatic leaf of the bay laurel . Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance. The leaves are often used to flavor soups, stews, braises and pâtés in Mediterranean cuisine...

. The coastal Andhra Pradesh has more variety in their cuisine with a large variety of curries made from vegetables and a few curries made from meat. In this region, the curry is flavored with coriander

Coriander

powder, cumin

Cumin

seeds/powder, black pepper

Black pepper

Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...

powder, red hot chili peppers/powder, asafoetida

Asafoetida

Asafoetida , alternative spelling asafetida, is the dried latex exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb...

, ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

, fenugreek

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a plant in the family Fabaceae. Fenugreek is used both as a herb and as a spice . The leaves and sprouts are also eaten as vegetables...

seeds, curry leaves and turmeric

Turmeric

. Even though the same vegetables are used in the curry, the coastal Andhra curry tastes completely different from the Telangana

Telangana

curry. This is what made the curry a concept rather than a strict recipe. It can be customized to use the local spices. The curries are mainly eaten with rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

Bengali, Bangladeshi and Oriya cuisines

Bengal

Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

i cuisine includes a plethora of curries. Seafood and fresh fish are a great favourite with Bengalis

Bengali people

The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...

, and a large number of curries have been devised to accompany them. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are added to many recipes, as are poppy seeds.

The Oriya people

Oriya people

The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...

have similar eating habits and also prepare these types of curries.

Gujarati and Rajasthani cuisine

The typical Gujarati and Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

i cuisine is called Thali, which consists of Roti

Roti

Roti is generally a South Asian bread made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour, that originated and is consumed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is also consumed in parts of the Southern Caribbean, particularly in Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and...

(a flat bread made from wheat flour), daal

Dal

Dal is a preparation of pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi cuisine...

or, chaval (rice), and shaak (sabzi) (a dish made up of different combinations of vegetables and spices, which may be stir fried, spicy or sweet). Curry varies in flavour and heat. Mild curry could be made of cardamom

Cardamom

Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...

, coriander

Coriander

, cumin

Cumin

, turmeric

Turmeric

, star anise

Star anise

Illicium verum, commonly called Star anise, star aniseed, or Chinese star anise, is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of northeast Vietnam and southwest China...

, and salt.

Karnataka cuisine

The curries of Karnataka are typically vegetarian and with meat and fish around mostly coastal areas. They use a wide variety of vegetables and spices and coconut and jaggery are common tastes. There are dry and sauce based curries. Some typical sauce based dishes include Saaru, Gojju, Thovve, Huli, Majjige Huli; which is similar to the "kadi" made in the north, Sagu or Kootu, which is eaten mixed with hot rice.

Malayali cuisine

Malayali

Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...

curries of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

typically contain shredded coconut

Coconut

The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...

paste or coconut milk

Coconut milk

Coconut milk is the water that comes from the grated meat of a coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content. In many parts of the world, the term coconut milk is also used to refer to coconut water, the naturally occurring liquid found inside the hollow...

, curry leaves, and various spices. Mustard seeds are used in almost every dish, along with onions, curry leaves, sliced red chilies fried in hot oil. Most of the non-vegetarian dishes are heavily spiced. Kerala is known for its traditional Sadya, a vegetarian meal served with boiled rice and a host of side-dishes, such as Parippu (Green gram), Papadum

Papadum

Papadum, also known as papad in Northern India, , pappadam in Malayalam, happala in Kannada, appalam in Tamil, appadum in Telugu, pappadum or poppadom in the UK, is a thin, crisp Indian preparation sometimes described as a cracker. It is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India...

, some ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

, Sambar, Rasam

Rasam

Rasam is a South Indian soup. Traditional preparation involves tamarind juice as base in addition to tomato, chili pepper and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added by some along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand...

, Aviyal

Aviyal

Avial is a dish that has a unique place in typical Kerala as well as Tamil cuisine and Udupi cuisine. It is a thick mixture of vegetables, curd and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves...

, Kaalan

Kaalan

Kaalan is a Keralite dish made of yogurt, coconut and one vegetable like nendran plantain or a tuber like yam. It is very thick and more sour than Aviyal.Kaalan is typically served as part of the Sadhya.-External links:*...

, Kichadi

Kichadi

Kichadi is a Keralite dish made of curd and cucumber in raw or cooked form. Kichadi is often served as part of the Sadhya....

, pachadi

Pachadi

Pachadi refers to a traditional South Indian side-dish. Broadly translated, it refers to food which has been pounded. The definition of the word 'Pachadi' is different among different South Indian regions...

, Injipuli

Injipuli

Injipuli is a dark brown Keralite curry made of ginger, green chillies and jaggery. It is also a part of Tamil Nadu cuisine. It is also known as Puli inji in some parts of Kerala, South India....

, Koottukari

Koottukari

Koottukari or Koottu curry is a prominent dish in the "Sadhya" of Kerala, south India. It is a yellow curry featuring one or two vegetables such as banana and coconut, and has a hot and sweet taste.- :Ingredients:...

, pickles

Indian pickle

Indian pickles are made from certain individual varieties of vegetables and fruits that are chopped into small pieces and cooked in edible oils like sesame oil or brine with many different Indian spices like asafetida, red chili powder, turmeric, fenugreek and plenty of salt. Some regions also...

(mango, lime), Thoran

Thoran

Thoran or Upperi is a Kerala cuisine dish . This popular and common dish is usually prepared to be eaten along with steamed rice...

, one to four types of Payasam, Boli

Boli (food)

Boli is a golden yellow sweet pancake from South India. It is eaten during a traditional Sadhya along with Payasam.There are varieties of boli available. Thaenga boli and sarkarai boli are among them. It is especially famous in the southernmost districts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India...

, Olan

Olan (dish)

Olan is a dish that is part of the Kerala cuisine of South India. It is prepared from white gourd, coconut milk and ginger seasoned with coconut oil.Olan is usually served as part of a Sadhya.-Kerala style:Ingredients* Black-eyed beans - 1 cup...

, Pulissery, moru (buttermilk

Buttermilk

Buttermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates where unrefrigerated fresh milk otherwise sours quickly...

), Upperi, Banana

Banana

Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....

chips, etc. The sadya is customarily served on a banana leaf.

Maharashtrian cuisine

The curries of Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

vary from mildly spicy to very spicy and include vegetarian, mutton, chicken and fish. Coastal Maharashtrian - Konkani - curries use coconut extensively along with spices. In western Maharashtra, curries are very spicy and groundnut powder is often added to it. Vidarbha's cuisine is usually spicier than that of the coastal and southern regions. The ingredients commonly used are besan, or chickpea flour, and groundnut powder. As a result of the long Islamic Moghul rule in the region, the cuisine of Aurangabad has been highly influenced by the North Indian method of cooking. Khandeshi food is very very spicy and most famous dish is Shev Bhaji, wange (Brinjal) che bharit and many more like Udidachi dal, Bharleli wangi (Brinjal), none other than Thecha (Mix of Garlic, Green chilies) bhakari and spicy mutton. Most of the people are farmers so their traditional food is very simple.

North Indian cuisines

North Indian cuisine

North Indian cuisine , part of Indian cuisine, is a term used to refer to the cuisines found in Northern India which includes the Indian states: Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and West-Central Uttar Pradesh...

includes Mughlai cuisine

Mughlai cuisine

Mughlai cuisine is a style of cookery developed in the Indian Subcontinent by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire. It represents the cooking style used in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Pakistan and in parts of Dhaka in Bangladesh and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh...

, the cuisine of Kashmir

Cuisine of Kashmir

Kashmiri cuisine is based on the ancient tradition of this area. The Rigvedamentioms the meat eating traditions of this area. The ancient epic of Kashmir, namely the Nilmatapurana informs us that Kashmiris were heavy meat eaters. This habit persists in today's Kashmir.The most notable ingredient...

, Awadhi cuisine

Awadhi cuisine

Awadhi Cuisine is from the city of Lucknow which is the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh located in Central-South Asia and Northern India, and the cooking patterns of the city are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India as well. The cuisine consists of both...

, the cuisine of Uttar Pradesh

Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh

Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh is from the state of Uttar Pradesh located in Central-South Asia and Northern India), Awadhi and Mughlai are the two chief genre of Uttar Pradeshi cuisine, and the cooking patterns of the state are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, Pakistan and the rest of...

and Bhojpuri cuisine

Bhojpuri cuisine

Bhojpuri cuisine is a style of food preparation common amongst the Bhojpuri people living in Bihar.Bhojpuris are fond of spicy foods and their cuisines reflect this....

. Kadhi is a specific dish, made by stirring yoghurt

Yoghurt

Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...

into a roux

Roux

Roux is a cooked mixture of wheat flour and fat, traditionally butter. It is the thickening agent of three of the mother sauces of classical French cooking: sauce béchamel, sauce velouté and sauce espagnole. Clarified butter, vegetable oils, or lard are commonly used fats. It is used as a...

of ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

and besan

Gram flour

Gram flour is a cereal flour made from ground chickpeas. It is also known as chickpea flour, garbanzo flour, or besan . Used in many countries, it is a staple ingredient in Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines, and, in the form of a paste with water or yoghurt, a popular facial exfoliant in...

. The spices added vary, but usually include turmeric

Turmeric

, black mustard seed, and curry leaves. It is often eaten with rice. North India

North India

North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...

, where dishes are classified as sukhi (dry) and tari (with liquid), the word curry is often confounded with the similar-sounding Hindi-Urdu word tari (from the Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

-derived tar meaning wet) and has no implications for the presence or absence of spice, or whether the dish is Indian or not (e.g. any stew, spicy or not, would be considered a curry dish, simply because it is wet). In Urdu

Urdu

Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

, curry is usually referred to as saalan (سالن). The equivalent word for a spiced dish in Hindi-Urdu is masaledar (i.e. with masala
Masala
Masala or massala is a term used in South Asian cuisines to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste...

).

Pakistani cuisine

A favourite Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

i curry is Karahi

Karahi

A karahi is a type of thick, circular, and deep cooking pot used in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Nepalese cuisine. Karahi are traditionally made out of cast iron, and look like woks with rounded bottoms...

, which is either mutton or chicken cooked in a cooking utensil called karahi, which is similar in shape to a wok. Lahori Karahi incorporates garlic, ginger, fresh chillies, tomatoes and select spices. Peshawari karahi is a simple dish made with just meat, salt, tomatoes and coriander.

Punjabi cuisine

Punjabi

Punjab region

The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

curries are mainly based upon masala

Masala

Masala or massala is a term used in South Asian cuisines to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried spices, or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste...

s. which is either a blend of dried (and usually dry roasted) spices, or a paste made from a combination of spices and a base of garlic, ginger, onions and tomatoes. A popular cooking fat is pure desi

Desi

Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...

ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

, and some dishes are often enriched with liberal amounts of butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...

and cream

Cream

Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...

. There are certain dishes that are exclusive to Punjab, such as Maha Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag).

Sindhi cuisine

Sindh

Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...

i cuisine refers to the cuisine of the Sindhi people

Sindhi people

Sindhis are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province Formerly of British India, now in Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan belong to various religious denominations including Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity...

. The daily food in most Sindhi households consists of wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

-based flat-bread (phulka) and rice accompanied by two dishes, one gravy

Gravy

Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. In North America the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces and gravy is often thicker than in Britain...

and one dry.

Tamil and Sinhalese cuisines

Tamil cuisine

Tamil Nadu is famous for its hospitality and its deep belief that serving food to others is a service to humanity, as is common in many regions of India. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional vegetarian, as well as non-vegetarian dishes. It is characterized by the use of rice,...

's distinctive flavour and aroma is achieved by a blend and combination of spice

Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...

s including curry leaves, tamarind

Tamarind

Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...

, coriander

Coriander

, ginger

Ginger

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....

, garlic

Garlic

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

, chili

Chili pepper

Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...

, pepper

Black pepper

, poppy seeds

Poppy Seeds

Poppy Seeds, released in 1971, was the second and final studio album from Vancouver, British Columbia band The Poppy Family. The album has yet to be released on modern formats and remains a rare vinyl....

, mustard seeds, cinnamon

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...

, clove

Clove

Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to the Maluku islands in Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisines all over the world...

s, cardamom

Cardamom

, cumin

Cumin

, fennel

Fennel

Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...

or anise

Anise

seeds, fenugreek seeds, nutmeg

Nutmeg

, coconut

Coconut

, turmeric

Turmeric

root or powder, and rosewater

Rosewater

Rose water or rose syrup is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals. Rose water, itself a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume, is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and...

. Lentil

Lentil

The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...

s, vegetable

Vegetable

The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....

s and dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

products are essential accompaniments and are often served with rice. Traditionally vegetarian foods dominate the menu with a range of non-vegetarian dishes including freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

fish

Fish (food)

Fish is a food consumed by many species, including humans. The word "fish" refers to both the animal and to the food prepared from it. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history.-Terminology:...

and seafood

Seafood

Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...

cooked with traditional Tamil spices and seasoning. This holds good for all the four south Indian states.

In Sri Lankan cuisine, rice

Rice

, which is usually consumed daily, can be found at any special occasion; whilst spicy curries are favourite dishes for dinner

Dinner

Dinner is usually the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon culture, dinner may be the second, third or fourth meal of the day. Originally, though, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still occasionally used for a noontime meal, if it is a large or main...

and lunch. 'Rice and curry

Rice and curry

Rice and curry is a popular dish in Sri Lanka and the Southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.Rice and curry dinner comprises the following:* A large bowl of rice, most often boiled, but frequently fried...

' refers to a range of Sri Lankan dishes.

Afghan and Pashtun cuisine

The cuisine of the Pashtun people in northwestern Pakistan is somewhat similar to the cuisine of neighbouring Afghanistan, which is largely based upon cereals like wheat, maize, barley and rice except with the addition of large South Asian influence. Accompanying these staples are dairy products (yoghurt, whey), various nuts, native vegetables, and fresh and dried fruits.

Northeast Indian and Nepalese cuisines

The curries of North-East India

North-East India

Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...

are very different from those of other parts of India. This area's cuisine has been influenced by its neighbours, namely Burma and Tibet. Well known Indian spices are used less. Yak

Yak

The yak, Bos grunniens or Bos mutus, is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia and Russia. In addition to a large domestic population, there is a small, vulnerable wild yak population...

is a popular meat in this region of India.

Dahl baht

Dahl baht

Dal bhat is a traditional Nepali or Indian Maharashtrian staple food consisting of cooked or steamed rice or sometimes other cereal bhat and lentil soup Dal. It is generally eaten twice a day: mid-morning and early evening.Bhat means boiled rice...

, rice and lentil soup

Lentil soup

Lentil soup, which is usually served hot, may be vegetarian, but can also be made with meat stock or pieces of meat. Red or green lentils may be used. Other ingredients may include vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, celery, parsley, and onion. Common added flavorings include garlic, cumin,...

, is a staple dish of Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

. Newa cuisine is a type of cuisine developed over centuries by the Newar

Newar

The Newa , Newār or Newāl) are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. The valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala, its limits ever changing through history.Newas have lived in the Kathmandu...

s of Nepal.

Chinese cuisine

Chinese curries (咖哩, gā lǐ) typically consist of chicken, beef, fish, lamb, or other meats, green peppers, onions, large chunks of potatoes, and a variety of other ingredients and spices in a mildly spicy yellow curry sauce, and topped over steamed rice. White pepper, soy sauce, hot sauce, and/or hot chili oil may be applied to the sauce to enhance the flavor of the curry.

The most common Chinese variety of curry sauce is usually sold in powder form. It seems to have descended from a Singaporean and Malaysian variety, countries which also introduced the Satay

Satay

Satay , or sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are...

sauce to the Chinese. The ethnic Cantonese (dominant in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

), this yellow, Chinese-Malaysian

Malaysian Chinese

Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...

variety was naturally introduced to China by the Cantonese, and features typically in Hong Kong cuisine. (Interestingly, the Malay Satay seems to have been introduced to China with wider success by the ethnic Teochew

Teochew people

The Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...

, who make up the second largest group of Chinese of Singapore and are the dominant group in Thailand

Thai Chinese

The Thai Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most prominent, and most integrated overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 9.5 million people...

.)

There are many different varieties of Chinese curry, depending on each restaurant. Unlike other Asian curries, which usually have a thicker consistency, Chinese curry is often watery. "Galimian," (from Malaysian "curry mee" or "curry noodles,") is also a popular Chinese curry dish.

Japanese cuisine

is one of the most popular dishes in Japan, where people eat it an average of 125 times a year. It is usually eaten as karē raisu — curry, rice and often pickled vegetables, served on the same plate and eaten with a spoon, a common lunchtime canteen dish. It is less spicy and seasoned than Indian and Southeast Asian curries, being more of thick Japanese stew than a curry.

Curry was introduced to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

by the British in the Meiji era, after Japan ended its policy of national self-isolation (Sakoku

Sakoku

was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...

), and curry in Japan

Japan

was categorized as a Western dish. Its spread across the country is commonly attributed to its use in the Japanese Army

Imperial Japanese Army

-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...

and Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

which adopted it extensively as convenient field and naval canteen cooking, allowing even conscripts from the remotest countryside to experience the dish. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....

traditionally have curry every Friday for lunch and many ships have their own unique recipes.

The standard Japanese curry contains onion

Onion

The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...

s, carrot

Carrot

The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...

s, potato

Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

es, and sometimes celery

Celery

Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...

, and a meat that is cooked in a large pot. Sometimes grated apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

s or honey

Honey

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...

are added for additional sweetness and other vegetables are sometimes used instead. For the meat, pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....

, beef

Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...

and chicken

Chicken

The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

are the most popular, in order of decreasing popularity. In northern and eastern Japan including Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, pork is the most popular meat for curry. Beef is more common in western Japan, including Osaka

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, and in Okinawa chicken is favoured. Curry seasoning is commonly sold in the form of a condensed brick which dissolves in the mixture of meat and vegetables.

Sometimes the curry-rice is topped with breaded pork cutlet (tonkatsu

Tonkatsu

Tonkatsu , invented in the late 19th century, is a popular dish in Japan. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced into bite-sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage and/or miso soup...

); this is called Katsu-karē ("cutlet curry"). Korokke

Korokke

Korokke is the Japanese name for a deep fried dish originally related to a French dish, the croquette. It was introduced in the early 1900s. This dish is also popular in South Korea where it is typically sold in bakeries....

(potato croquettes) are also a common topping.

Apart from with rice, karē udon
Udon
is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...

(thick noodles in curry flavoured soup) and karē-pan

Curry bread

Curry bread , also called curry doughnut, is a popular Japanese food. An amount of Japanese curry is wrapped in a piece of dough, and the dough breaded in panko, and deep fried. On occasion it is baked instead of deep fried, but deep frying is the most common method of cooking...

("curry bread

Curry bread

" — deep fried battered bread

Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...

with curry in the middle) are also popular.

Curry was introduced to Korea by the Japanese during their occupation in the early 20th century, and is hence nearly identical to the Japanese version. The common ingredients are rice, curry sauce, vegetables, kimchi, smoked pork, and wasabi.

Southeast Asian cuisines

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

, including countries like Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

, Laos, Thailand and also some Southeast Asian minority groups, have their own versions of curry. Note that these countries have had many influences from Indian culture

Greater India

Greater India is a term that refers to the historical spread of the culture of India beyond the Indian subcontinent...

and cuisine, owing to South Asian travellers centuries before.

Burmese cuisine

Burmese cuisine has a very different basis and understanding of curries. The principle ingredient of almost all Burmese curries are fresh onion (which provides the gravy and main body of the curry), Indian spices and red chillies. Usually, meat and fish are the main ingredients for popular curries.

Burmese curries can be generalised into two types - the hot spicy dishes which exhibit north Indian or Pakistani influence, and the milder 'sweet' curries. Burmese curries almost overwhelmingly lack coconut milk, thus setting them apart from most southeast Asian curries.

Regular ingredients include fresh onion, garlic and chili paste. Spices regularly used are Garam Masala

Garam masala

Garam masala is a blend of ground spices common in North Indian and other South Asian cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings. The word garam refers to intensity of the spices rather than capsaicin content...

, dried chili powder, cumin

Cumin

powder, tumeric and ngapi, a fermented paste made from either fish or prawns.
Burmese curries are quite oily, as the extra oil aided in helping the food last longer. A spaghetti equivalent called Nan gyi thohk

Nan gyi thohk

Nan gyi thohk, is a Burmese dish consisting of thick round rice noodles mixed with specifically prepared chicken curry. It has been equated as a Burmese version of spaghetti....

exists, in which wheat or rice noodles are eaten with thick chicken curry.

Indonesian cuisine

In Indonesia, gulai

Gulai

Gulai is a type of food contained rich, spicy and succulent curry-like sauce. The main ingredients might be chicken, beef, mutton, various kinds of offals, fish and seafoods, and also vegetables such as cassava leafs and young jackfruit. The gulai sauce commonly have thick consistency with...

and kari or kare are dishes based on curry. They are often highly localised and reflect the meat and vegetables available. They can therefore employ a variety of meats (chicken, beef, water buffalo and goat as in the flavoursome "gulai kambing"), seafood (prawn, crab, mussel, clam, squid, etc.), fish or vegetable dishes in a spiced sauce. They use local ingredients such as chili pepper

Chili pepper

s, kaffir lime

Kaffir lime

The kaffir lime, Citrus × hystrix, Rutaceae), is also known as combava, kieffer lime, limau purut, jeruk purut or makrut lime,...

leaves, lemon grass, Galangal

Galangal

Galangal is a rhizome of plants of the genus Alpinia or Kaempferia in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originated from Indonesia...

, Indonesian bay leaves or salam leaves, candlenut

Candlenut

Aleurites moluccana, the Candlenut, is a flowering tree in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as Candleberry, Indian walnut, Kemiri, Varnish tree, Nuez de la India, Buah keras or Kukui nut tree....

s, turmeric

Turmeric

, turmeric

Turmeric

leaves, asam gelugur, asam kandis, shrimp paste

Shrimp paste

Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi in Indonesian, ngapi in Burmese, kapi in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, belacan in Malay, mắm ruốc, mắm tép and mắm tôm in...

(terasi), cumin

Cumin

, coriander

Coriander

seed and coconut milk

Coconut milk

. One popular curry is rendang

Rendang

Rendang is a dish which originated from the Minangkabau ethnic group of Indonesia, and is now commonly served across the country. One of the characteristic foods of Minangkabau culture, it is served at ceremonial occasions and to honour guests...

from West Sumatran cuisine. Authentic rendang uses water buffalo slow-cooked in thick coconut milk for a number of hours to tenderise and flavour the meat. In Aceh, curries use daun salam koja or daun kari (translated as "curry leaves"). Opor Ayam is another kind of curry, which tastes very similar to that of gulai. Some say opor is the name widely used in Java

Java

Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...

to refer to gulai itself (gulai is the word used in Sumatra

Sumatra

Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...

) however opor (usually) does not use cinnamon, while gulai does. Opor is also known to be part of a family meal around Eid

Eid ul-Fitr

Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...

, while gulai can be commonly found in West Sumatran restaurants.

Malaysian cuisine

Being at the crossroads of ancient trade routes has left a mark on the Malaysian cuisine. While the curry may have initially found its way to Malaysian shores via the Indian population, it has since become a staple among the Malays and Chinese too. Malaysian curries differ from state to state, even within similar ethnic groupings, as they are influenced by the many factors, be it cultural, religious, agricultural or economical.

Malaysian curries typically use curry powders rich in turmeric, coconut milk, shallots, ginger, belacan (shrimp paste), chili peppers, and garlic. Tamarind is also often used. Rendang

Rendang

is another form of curry consumed in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia; although it is drier and contains mostly meat and more coconut milk than a conventional Malaysian curry. Rendang was mentioned in Malay literature Hikayat Amir Hamzah

Hikayat Amir Hamzah

Hikayat Amir Hamzah is a Malay literary work that chronicles the hero by the name Amir Hamzah. This book is one of the two Hikayat mentioned in Sejarah Melayu as one of the Hikayat used to encourage Malay warriors in their fight against invading Portuguese in Malacca in 1511.The manuscripts were...

(1550-an) is popular among Indonesians, Singaporeans and Malaysians. All sorts of things are curried in Malaysia, including mutton, chicken, shrimp, cuttlefish, fish, aubergines, eggs, and vegetables.

Philippine cuisine

In the Philippines, mostly a linear range of curry recipes could be seen. A typical curry dish would be usually of either pork or chicken as the meat while cooked at a similar manner as to other local dishes such as adobo
Adobo
Adobo is the immersion of raw food into a preparation, in the form of a stock , of different components, including paprika , oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar — mixed according to the place of origin and the food with which it is intended to be used—primarily to preserve and enhance the flavor of...

, kaldereta
Kaldereta
Kaldereta is a popular dish in the Philippines, especially on Luzon island. The common ingredients is goat shoulders with tomato paste and liver spread....

, and mechado
Mechado
Mechado is a beef dish from the Philippines. The addition of soy sauce and calamansi juice to the marinating liquid gives this recipe its distinct Filipino character.-Origin and preparation:...

, patis
Patis
Patis may refer to:*Paattinen, a Finnish village*Pais, a standard abbreviation for the Buddhist Pali Canon's Patisambhidamagga*Patis, a fish sauce used as a cooking ingredient or a condiment in the Philippines...

(fish sauce), with potatoes, bay leaf, coconut milk, and sometimes lemongrass and carrots to complement.

Thai cuisine

In Thai cuisine, curries are meat, fish and/or vegetable dishes in a sauce based on a paste made from of chilies, spices and herbs. They use local ingredients such as chili peppers, kaffir lime

Kaffir lime

The kaffir lime, Citrus × hystrix, Rutaceae), is also known as combava, kieffer lime, limau purut, jeruk purut or makrut lime,...

leaves, lemon grass, galangal

Galangal

Galangal is a rhizome of plants of the genus Alpinia or Kaempferia in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originated from Indonesia...

and, in central and southern Thai cuisine, also coconut milk. Northern and northeastern Thai curries generally do not contain coconut milk. Due to the use of fresh herbs, spices, and other fresh ingredients, Thai curries tend to be more aromatic than Indian curries. In the West, a few Thai curries are described by color; red curries

Red curry

Red curry is a popular Thai dish consisting of curry paste to which coconut milk is added. The base is properly made with a mortar and pestle, and remains moist throughout the preparation process. The main ingredients are garlic, shallots, red chili peppers, galangal, shrimp paste, salt, kaffir...

use red chilies while green curries

Green curry

Green curry is a variety of curry in Thai cuisine. The name "green" curry derives from the color of the dish. Other Thai curry dishes are identified solely by their colors, such as yellow and red curry. Green curries tend to be as hot as red curries, both being hotter than phanang/padang curries...

use green chilies. Yellow curry

Yellow curry

Yellow curry is one of three major kinds of Thai curry, commonly found in Thai restaurants in the West. There are many more types in Thailand, several of which are yellow...

- called Kaeng kari (by various spellings) in Thai

Thai language

Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...

, of which a literal translation would be "curry soup" - is more similar to Indian curries, with the use of turmeric

Turmeric

, cumin

Cumin

, and other dried spices. A few dishes also utilise an Indian style curry powder (Thai: pong kari).

Thai curries:

Yellow curry
Yellow curry
Yellow curry is one of three major kinds of Thai curry, commonly found in Thai restaurants in the West. There are many more types in Thailand, several of which are yellow...
Massaman curry
Massaman curry
Massaman curry is a southern Thai dish that is Muslim in origin. It is most commonly made with beef, but can also be made with duck, tofu, chicken, or pork ....
Green curry
Green curry
Green curry is a variety of curry in Thai cuisine. The name "green" curry derives from the color of the dish. Other Thai curry dishes are identified solely by their colors, such as yellow and red curry. Green curries tend to be as hot as red curries, both being hotter than phanang/padang curries...
Red curry
Red curry
Red curry is a popular Thai dish consisting of curry paste to which coconut milk is added. The base is properly made with a mortar and pestle, and remains moist throughout the preparation process. The main ingredients are garlic, shallots, red chili peppers, galangal, shrimp paste, salt, kaffir...
Phanaeng curry
Phanaeng curry
Phanaeng curry, or penang curry, is a type of Thai curry that is milder than other Thai curries. It traditionally includes dried chili peppers, galangal, lemongrass, coriander root, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic, and salt, and sometimes also shallots, peanuts, and shrimp paste...
Khao soi
Khao soi
Khao soi or khao soy is a Burmese-influenced dish served widely in northern Laos and northern Thailand. The name means "cut rice". Traditionally, the dough for the rice noodles is spread out on a cloth stretched over boiling water. After steaming the large sheet noodle is then rolled and cut with...
Kaeng hangle
Kaeng lueang

Vietnamese cuisine

In Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

, curry is called cà ri. Vietnamese curry features coconut milk, potato, sweet potato, taro roots, chicken garnished with cilantro and green onion and is more soup-like than Indian curry. Goat curry also exists but only at a few specialized restaurants. The curry is usually eaten with a baguette, rice vermicelli or steamed rice. At home, people usually only make chicken curry on each Death anniversary day of a family member. Vietnamese curry is considered a Southern food.

Other cuisines

Other countries have their own varieties of curry, well known examples include:

South Africa
Cuisine of South Africa
The cuisine of South Africa is sometimes called "rainbow cuisine", as it has had a variety of multicultural sources and stages. The cuisine can be generalized as:...

: Cape Malay curries and Durban Curries
Caribbean
Caribbean cuisine
Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, British, Spanish, French, Dutch, Indian, and Chinese cuisine. These traditions were brought from the many homelands of this region's population...

: Curry Goat
Curry Goat
Curry goat is a dish originating in India and has become very popular in Indo-Jamaican cuisine. This dish has spread throughout the English speaking Caribbean and also the Caribbean diaspora in North America and Great Britain....
Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

, and Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

: Known generally as "kare" or "kale," the spice is a popular ingredient in curried lamb, mutton, and chicken stew. Often prepared with coconut milk and accompanied by rice or taro.
Ethiopia: Wat
Wat (food)
Wat, wet, or wot , known as tsebhi in Tigrinya is an Ethiopian and Eritrean stew or curry which may be prepared with chicken, beef, lamb, a variety of vegetables, and spice mixtures such as berbere and niter kibbeh, a seasoned clarified butter.Several properties distinguish wats from stews of...

, a thick, heavily spiced stew
Germany
German cuisine
German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share many dishes....

: Currywurst
Currywurst
Currywurst is a fast-food dish of German origin consisting of hot pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with curry ketchup, regularly consisting of ketchup or tomato paste blended with generous amounts of curry powder, or a ready-made ketchup-based sauce seasoned with curry and other spices...
Central Africa
Cuisine of Africa
African cuisine is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisines of Africa. The continent of Africa is the second largest landmass on Earth, and is home to hundreds of different cultural and ethnic groups...

: Groundnut stew, though not technically a curry, is a similar style
Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...

: Gulash A spicy stew or soup usually made with paprika, garlic, potatoes, beef or pork and dill. Not served with rice.

Curry powder is used as an incidental ingredient in other cuisines, including for example a "curry sauce" (sauce au curry, sometimes even au cari) variation of the classic French béchamel.

British cuisine

In British cuisine

British cuisine

, the word "curry" is primarily used to denote a sauce-based dish flavoured with curry powder

Curry powder

Curry powder is a mixture of spices of widely varying composition based on South Asian cuisine. Curry powder, and the contemporary English use of the word curry are Western inventions and do not reflect any specific Indian food, though a similar mixture of spices used in north India is called...

or a paste made from the powder and oils. However, the use of fresh spices such as ginger and garlic

Garlic

, and preparation of an initial masala from freshly ground dried spices are sometimes used.

The first curry recipe in Britain appeared in The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy
Art of Cookery
Written in 1747, Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy represents one of the most important references for culinary practice in England and the American colonies during the latter half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th...

by Hannah Glasse

Hannah Glasse

Hannah Glasse was an English cookery writer of the 18th century. She is best known for her cookbook, The Art of Cookery, first published in 1747...

in 1747. The first edition of her book used only pepper and coriander seeds for seasoning of "currey". By the fourth edition of the book, other relatively common ingredients of turmeric

Turmeric

and ginger

Ginger

were used. The use of hot spices was not mentioned, which reflected the limited use of chili in India — chili plants

Chili pepper

had only been introduced into India around the late 15th century and at that time were only popular in southern India. Many curry recipes are contained in 19th century cookbooks such as those of Charles Elme Francatelli

Charles Elme Francatelli

Charles Elmé Francatelli , Anglo-Italian cook, was born in London, of Italian extraction, in 1805, and was educated in France, where he studied the art of cookery. Coming to England, he was employed successively by various noblemen, subsequently becoming manager of Crockfords club...

and Mrs Beeton

Mrs Beeton

Isabella Mary Beeton , universally known as Mrs Beeton, was the English author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, and is one of the most famous cookery writers.-Background:...

. In Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management was a guide to all aspects of running a household in Victorian Britain, edited by Isabella Beeton. It was originally entitled "Beeton's Book of Household Management", in line with the other guide-books published by Beeton.Previously published as a part...

, a recipe for curry powder is given that contains coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, mustard, ginger, allspice and fenugreek; although she notes that it is more economical to purchase the powder at "any respectable shop". In 1810, the British Bengali

British Bangladeshi

A British Bangladeshi is a person of Bangladeshi origin who resides in the United Kingdom having emigrated to the UK and attained citizenship through naturalisation or whose parents did so; they are also known as British Bengalis...

entrepreneur Sake Dean Mahomed opened the first Indian curry house in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

: the Hindoostanee Coffee House in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. According to legend, one 19th century attempt at curry resulted in the invention of Worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce , or Worcester sauce is a fermented liquid condiment; primarily used to flavour meat or fish dishes.First made at 60 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and...

.

Curry grew increasingly popular in Britain as a result of importation from the British Raj

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

and with immigration from South Asia from the 1950s onwards.

Until the early 1970s, more than three quarters of Indian restaurants in Britain were identified as being owned and run by people of Bengal

Bengal

i origin. Most were run by migrants from East Pakistan

East Pakistan

East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...

, which became Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

in 1971. Bangladeshi restaurateurs overwhelmingly come from the northeastern division of Sylhet

Sylhet Division

Sylhet Division , also known as Greater Sylhet or Sylhet region, is the northeastern division of Bangladesh, named after its main city, Sylhet...

. Until 1998, as many as 85% of curry restaurants in the UK were British Bangladeshi

British Bangladeshi

restaurants, but in 2003 this figure declined to just over 65%. Currently the dominance of Bangladeshi restaurants is generally declining in some parts of London and the further north one travels. In Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, there are more restaurants of Punjabi

Punjab region

origin than any other.

Regardless of the ethnic origin of a restaurant's ownership, the menu will often be influenced by the wider Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

(sometimes including Nepalese dishes

Nepalese cuisine

Nepalese cuisine refers to the cuisines of Nepal. The cultural and geographic diversity of Nepal provide ample space for a variety of cuisines based on ethnicity, soil and climate. Nevertheless dal-bhat-tarkari is eaten throughout the country. Dal is a soup made of lentils and spices...

), and sometimes cuisines from further afield (such as Persian dishes). Some British variations on Indian food are now being exported from the UK to India. British-style curry restaurants are also popular in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

Curry has become an integral part of British cuisine

British cuisine

, so much so that, since the late 1990s, Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala is a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange-coloured...

has been referred to as "a true British national dish". It is now available on Intercity

InterCity (British Rail)

InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....

rail trains, as a flavour for crisps, and even as a pizza

Pizza

Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...

topping.

Other British curry derivatives include "Coronation chicken

Coronation chicken

Coronation chicken is a combination of precooked cold chicken meat, herbs and spices, and a creamy mayonnaise-based sauce which can be eaten as a salad or used to fill sandwiches.- Composition :...

", a cold dish invented to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

in 1953 - and curry sauce (or curry gravy), usually served warm with traditional British fast food dishes such as chips. Curry sauce occasionally includes sultana

Sultana (grape)

The sultana is a type of white, seedless grape assumed to originate from the Turkish, Greek, or Iranian area...

British curry house

Curry is eaten in almost all parts of the Indian subcontinent and outside, namely India, Bangladesh and Pakistan

Pakistan

, it has its varying degrees of style, taste and aroma, depending on local ingredients used.

Bengalis in the UK settled in big cities with industrial employment. In London, Bengalis settled in the East End. For centuries, the East End has been the first port of call for many immigrants working in the docks and shipping from east Bengal. Their regular stopover paved the way for food/curry outlets to be opened up catering for an all-male workforce as family migration and settlement took place some decades later. Brick Lane

Brick Lane

Brick Lane is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It runs from Swanfield Street in the northern part of Bethnal Green, crosses Bethnal Green Road, passes through Spitalfields and is linked to Whitechapel High Street to the south by the short stretch of...

in the East London Borough of Tower Hamlets

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...

is famous for its many curry houses.

This cuisine is characterized by the use of a common base for all the sauces to which spices are added when individual dishes are prepared. The standard "feedstock" is usually a sautéed mixture of onion, garlic and fresh ginger, to which various spices are added, depending on the recipe, but which may include: cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, chilies, peppercorns, cumin and mustard seeds. Ground coriander

Coriander

seed is widely used as a thickening agent, and turmeric

Turmeric

is added for colour and its digestive qualities. Fresh or canned tomatoes and Bell Peppers are a common addition.

Better quality restaurants will normally make up new sauces on a daily basis, using fresh ingredients wherever possible and grinding their own spices. More modest establishments are more likely to resort to frozen or dried ingredients and pre-packaged spice mixtures.

Although the names may be similar to traditional dishes, the recipes generally are not.

Korma
Korma
Korma is a dish originating in South Asia or Central Asia which can be made with yoghurt, cream, nut and seed pastes or coconut milk; it is usually considered a type of curry...

/kurma - mild, yellow in colour, with almond and coconut powder.
Curry - medium, brown, gravy-like sauce.
Biryani
Biryani
Biryani, biriani, or beriani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā which means "fried" or "roasted"....

- Spiced rice and meat cooked together and usually served with vegetable curry sauce.
Dupiaza/dopiaza - medium curry the word means "double onion" referring to the boiled and fried onions used as its primary ingredient.
Pasanda
Pasanda
Pasanda is a popular North Indian and Pakistani meat dish, derived from a meal served in the Court of the Moghul Emperors. The word is a variation on the Urdu word "pasande," or "the favorite one," which refers to the prime cut of meat traditionally used within.-Ingredients and preparation:Pasanda...

- a mild curry sauce made with cream
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...

, coconut milk
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is the water that comes from the grated meat of a coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content. In many parts of the world, the term coconut milk is also used to refer to coconut water, the naturally occurring liquid found inside the hollow...

, and almonds or cashews.
Roghan josh
Rogan Josh
Rogan josh is an aromatic lamb dish hailing from Kashmir. Rogan means "oil" in Persian, while josh means "heat, hot, boiling, or passionate". Rogan josh thus means cooked in oil at intense heat. Another interpretation of the name rogan josh is derived from the word rogan meaning color and josh...

(from "roghan" (fat) and "josh" (energy/heat - which as in English may refer to either "spiciness" or temperature)) - medium, with tomatoes and paprika.
Bhuna - medium, thick sauce, some vegetables.
Dhansak
Dhansak
Dhansak is a popular Indian dish, especially popular among the Parsi Zoroastrian community. It combines elements of Persian and Gujarati cuisine. In Parsi homes, dhansak is traditionally made on Sundays owing to the long preparation time.-Ingredients:...

- medium/hot, sweet and sour sauce with lentils (originally a Parsi dish). This dish often also contains pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

.
Madras - fairly hot curry, red in colour and with heavy use of chili powder.
Pathia - hot, generally similar to a madras with lemon juice and tomato purée.
Jalfrezi
Jalfrezi
Jalfrezi is a type of curry in which marinated pieces of meat or vegetables are fried in oil and spices to produce a dry, thick sauce. It is cooked with green chillies, with the result that a jalfrezi can range in heat from a medium dish to a very hot one...

- onion, green chili and a thick sauce.
Sambar - medium heat, sour curry made with lentils and tamarind.
Vindaloo
Vindaloo
Vindaloo is an Indian curry dish from the region of Goa. It is popular globally in its Anglo-Indian form as a staple of curry house menus, often renowned as a particularly spicy dish, though it is not necessarily always the hottest available. The name Vindaloo is derived from the Portuguese dish...

- this is generally regarded as the classic "hot" restaurant curry, although a true vindaloo does not specify any particular level of spiciness. The name has European origins, derived from the Portuguese term "vinha d'alhos", a marinade containing wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

("vinho"), or sometimes vinegar, and garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

("alho"), used to prevent the pork from going off in hot weather.
Phaal
Phall
Phall is a British Asian Indian curry dish, which originated in Indian restaurants in the UK, and is not to be confused with the char-grilled, gravyless, finger food phall from Bangalore...

- extremely hot dish using ground chilies, ginger and fennel.
Naga curry - relatively new extremely hot dish with unique savoury taste made with the highly aromatic Naga Morich or Bhut Jolokia chili pepper.

The tandoor

Tandoor

A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central Asia, as well as Burma and Bangladesh.The heat for a tandoor was...

was introduced into Britain in the 1960s and tandoori and tikka chicken became popular dishes.

Other dishes may be featured with varying strengths, with those of north Indian origin, such as butter chicken

Butter chicken

Butter chicken is part of the Indian cuisine, popular in countries all over the world. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to Kundan Lal Gujral, a Hindu Punjabi, who ran a restaurant called Moti Mahal in Delhi. Butter Chicken is regarded to have been first introduced by Moti Mahal in...

, tending to be mild, and recipes from the south of India tending to be hotter.

Balti curries

Baltis are a style of curry thought to have been developed in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, England

England

which have spread to other western countries and are traditionally cooked and served in the same, typically cast iron pot. It is believed that their origin lies in the Pakistani region of Baltistan

Baltistan

Baltistan , also known as بلتیول བལིུལ་ in the Balti language, is a region in northern Pakistan which forms Gilgit-Baltistan, bordering the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. In addition, a part of Baltistan also falls into Jammu and Kashmir of India. It is situated in the Karakoram mountains...

, from where they were brought and pioneered by South Asian migrants to the UK.

Curry house cuisine at home

The popularity of curry houses in Britain has encouraged a number of publications aiming to show how the curry house cuisine, as opposed to authentic Indian cuisine, can be recreated at home. A notable publication is Kris Dhillon's book The Curry Secret, which was first published in 1989 but has been reprinted as recently as 2008. Dhillon reports having had experience working in her own Indian-style restaurant before publishing the book. In contrast, Bruce Edwards published a short series of articles in 1990 based mostly on deduction and experiments in trying to recreate his experiences as a restaurant customer. The series consisted of three articles published in the Curry Club Magazine

Curry Club Magazine

The Curry Magazine is a printed periodical publication published by The Curry Club, England, and is the world’s only consumer magazine exclusively devoted to the subject of curry and the ‘curry lands’....

. Edwards published a follow-up series in the same magazine three years later, using information he had since learned from a behind-the-scenes look at an Indian take-away restaurant. Edwards' articles are still used as a reference by members of the online forum "Curry Recipes Online", where he has also informally published a few brief further follow-ups.

West Indies

In the West Indies, curry is a very popular dish. The Indian indentured servant

Indentured servant

Indentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...

s that were brought over from India by different European powers, brought this dish, as well as their culture, to the West Indies. In Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

and Trinidad, curried goat is prominently featured. Curry can be found at both inexpensive and upscale Caribbean restaurants, and ingredients can range from chicken or vegetables to shellfish such as shrimp and scallops. Examples of curries in the West Indies include:

Jamaica: Especially curried chicken, goat, fish and shrimp
Trinidad and Tobago
Cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago cuisine is indicative of the blends of Indian, Amerindian, European, African, Creole, Chinese and Lebanese gastronomic influences.-Breakfast dishes:Hot Breakfast:Popular Breakfast Fast Food - D roti which is usually served with:...

: Most notably curried chicken, goat, shrimp, and curry aloo
Guyana: Chicken Curry, Goat Curry, Duck Curry, Shrimp Curry, Beef Curry (eaten by Muslims), Aloo Curry (Potato), Fish (different varieties) Curry, etc.

Curry powder

Curry powder is a spice mixture of widely varying composition developed by the British during the days of the Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

as a means of approximating the taste of Indian cuisine at home. Masala

Masala

refers to spices, and this is the name given to the thick and pasty sauce based on a combination of spices with ghee (clarified butter), butter, palm oil or coconut milk. Most commercial curry powders available in Britain, the U.S. and Canada, rely heavily on ground turmeric

Turmeric

, in turn producing a very yellow sauce. Lesser ingredients in these Western yellow curry powders are often coriander

Coriander

, cumin, fenugreek

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a plant in the family Fabaceae. Fenugreek is used both as a herb and as a spice . The leaves and sprouts are also eaten as vegetables...

, mustard, chili, black pepper and salt. It should be reiterated that curry powders and pastes produced and consumed in India are extremely diverse; some red, some yellow, some brown; some with five spices and some with as many as 20 or more. Besides the previously mentioned spices, other commonly found spices in different curry powders in India are allspice, white pepper, ground mustard, ground ginger, cinnamon, roasted cumin, cloves, nutmeg, mace, green cardamom seeds or black cardamom pods, bay leaves and coriander seeds.

Health benefits

Some studies have shown that ingredients in curry may help to prevent certain diseases, including colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
A number of studies have claimed that the reaction of pain receptors to the hotter ingredients in curries leads to the body's release of endorphin

Endorphin

Endorphins are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce...

s, curry is claimed to be one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs. With the complex sensory reaction to the variety of spices and flavours, a natural high is achieved that causes subsequent cravings, often followed by a desire to move on to hotter curries. Some refer to this as addiction

Substance use disorder

Substance use disorders include substance abuse and substance dependence. In DSM-IV, the conditions are formally diagnosed as one or the other, but it has been proposed that DSM-5 combine the two into a single condition called "Substance-use disorder"....

, but other researchers contest the use of the word "addiction" in this instance.

Nutritional information

1tbsp of curry powder contains the following nutritional information according to the USDA:

Calories : 20
Fat: 0.87
Carbohydrates: 3.66
Fibers: 2.1
Protein: 0.8

Etymology

Indian subcontinent

Andhra cuisine

Bengali, Bangladeshi and Oriya cuisines

Gujarati and Rajasthani cuisine

Karnataka cuisine

Malayali cuisine

Maharashtrian cuisine

North Indian cuisines

Pakistani cuisine

Punjabi cuisine

Sindhi cuisine

Tamil and Sinhalese cuisines

Afghan and Pashtun cuisine

Northeast Indian and Nepalese cuisines

Chinese cuisine

Japanese cuisine

Southeast Asian cuisines

Burmese cuisine

Indonesian cuisine

Malaysian cuisine

Philippine cuisine

Thai cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine

Other cuisines

British cuisine

British curry house

Balti curries

Curry house cuisine at home

West Indies

Curry powder

Health benefits

Nutritional information

See also

Further reading