What is curry?
Curry is a broad term for dishes with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, often including turmeric, cumin, coriander and chili. Curries are eaten across South Asia, Southeast Asia and beyond.
The word curry probably comes from the Tamil word kari, meaning sauce or relish, and was adopted by Portuguese and British traders. In India, people usually call dishes by their specific names, such as korma, vindaloo, rogan josh or sambar, rather than curry. Spice blends and cooking styles vary widely by region.
Thai curries are made with fresh curry pastes of chilies, lemongrass, galangal and shrimp paste, often with coconut milk. Japanese curry, introduced by the British, is milder and thicker and is served with rice. Caribbean, Malaysian and South African cuisines have their own curry traditions too.
Curry in Britain
Curry houses became popular in Britain in the 20th century, many run by people from Bangladesh. Chicken tikka masala is often said to have been created in Glasgow in the 1970s, and it is one of the UK's most popular dishes. Curry powder is a British invention for simplifying Indian spice mixes.
Did You Know?
Turmeric, which gives many curries their yellow color, contains a compound called curcumin that scientists have studied for possible health effects.