Curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in traditional cuisine depends on regional cultural tradition and personal preferences. Such dishes have names 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 Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

or spice pastes, commonly eaten over rice. Curries may contain fish, meat, poultry, or shellfish, either alone or in combination with vegetables. Others are vegetarian. 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

, dairy cream or yogurt, or

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

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.

Etymology

To make a Currey the India Way - Hannah Glasse 1748

Curry is an

anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

form of the Tamil ' meaning 'sauce' or 'relish for rice' that uses the leaves of the curry tree (''Murraya koenigii''). The word ''kari'' is also used in other Dravidian languages, namely in Malayalam, Kannada and Kodava with the meaning of "vegetables (or meat) of any kind (raw or boiled), curry". ''Kaṟi'' is described in a mid-17th century Portuguese cookbook by members of the British East India Company, who were trading with Tamil merchants along the Coromandel Coast of southeast India,Sahni, Julie (1980). ''Classic Indian Cooking''. New York: William Morrow. pp. 39–40. becoming known as a "spice blend ... called ''kari podi'' or curry powder". The first appearance in its anglicised form (spelled ''currey'') was in Hannah Glasse's 1747 book '' The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy''. The word ''cury'' in the 1390s English cookbook, '' The Forme of Cury'', is unrelated, coming from the Middle French word '' cuire'', meaning 'to cook'.

History

Archaeological evidence dating to 2600 BCE from Mohenjo-daro suggests the use of mortar and pestle to pound spices including mustard, fennel,

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

tamarind pods with which they flavoured food. Black pepper is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia and has been known to

Indian cooking Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, herb ...

since at least 2000 BCE.Davidson & Saberi 178 The three basic ingredients of the spicy stew were

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

, and turmeric. Using a method called "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. The establishment of the Mughal Empire, in the early 16th century, also influenced some curries, especially in the north. Another influence was the establishment of the Portuguese trading centre in Goa in 1510, resulting in the introduction of chili pepper, tomatoes and potatoes to India from the Americas, as a byproduct of the

Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, commodities, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the New World (the Americas) in ...

. The British lumped all sauce-based dishes under the generic name 'curry'. It was introduced to English cuisine from Anglo-Indian cooking in the 17th century, as spicy sauces were added to plain boiled and cooked meats. Curry was first served in coffee houses in Britain from 1809, and has been increasingly popular in Great Britain, with major jumps in the 1940s and the 1970s. During the 19th century, curry was carried to the Caribbean by Indian

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

d workers in the British

sugar industry The sugar industry subsumes the production, processing and marketing of sugars (mostly sucrose and fructose). Globally, most sugar is extracted from sugar cane (~80% predominantly in the tropics) and sugar beet (~ 20%, mostly in temperate cli ...

. Since the mid-20th century, curries of many national styles have become popular far from their origins, and increasingly become part of international fusion cuisine.

By region

South Asia

India is the home of curry, and many

Indian dishes Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, herb ...

are curry-based, prepared by adding different types of vegetables, lentils, or meats. The content of the curry and style of preparation vary by region. Most curries are water-based, with occasional use of dairy and coconut milk. Curry dishes are usually thick and spicy and are eaten along with steamed rice and a variety of Indian breads. The popular rogan josh, for example, from Kashmiri cuisine, is a wet curry of lamb with a red gravy coloured by Kashmiri chillies and an extract of the red flowers of the cockscomb plant (''mawal''). ''Goshtaba'' (large lamb meatballs cooked in yoghurt gravy) is another curry dish from the Wazwan tradition occasionally found in Western restaurants. Pointed Gourd Curry - Kolkata 2011-09-20 5428

Pointed Gourd Curry - Kolkata 2011-09-20 5428

Curries in Bengali cuisine include seafood and fresh fish. Mustard seeds and mustard oil are added to many recipes, as are poppy seeds. Emigrants from the

Sylhet district Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division. History Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...

of Bangladesh founded the curry house industry in Britain, while in

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

some restaurants run by expatriates specialise in British-style Indian food.

East Asia

Curry spread to other regions of Asia. Although not an integral part of Chinese cuisine, curry powder is added to some dishes in the southern part of China. The curry powder sold in Chinese grocery stores is similar to Madras curry powder but with addition of

star anise ''Illicium verum'' is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to northeast Vietnam and southwest China. A spice commonly called star anise, staranise, star anise seed, star aniseed, star of anise, Chinese star anise, or badian that closely resembl ...

and cinnamon. The former Portuguese colony of Macau has its own culinary traditions and curry dishes, including Galinha à portuguesa and curry crab.

Portuguese sauce Portuguese sauce is a sauce in Macanese cuisine. In Macao, Portuguese sauce (, pt, Molho português, ) refers to a sauce that is flavored with curry and thickened with coconut milk. It is an ingredient in Galinha à portuguesa, known as ''Por ...

is a sauce flavoured with curry and thickened with

Japanese curry is usually eaten as – 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 a thick stew than a curry. British people brought curry from the Indian colony back to Britain and introduced it to Japan during the Meiji period (1868 to 1912), after Japan ended its policy of national self-isolation (), and curry in Japan was categorised as a Western dish. Its spread across the country is attributed to its use in the

Japanese Army The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

and Navy 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 traditionally have curry every Friday for lunch and many ships have their own recipes. The standard Japanese curry contains onions, carrots, potatoes, and sometimes celery, and a meat that is cooked in a large pot. Sometimes grated apples or

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

are added for additional sweetness and other vegetables are sometimes used instead. Curry was popularized in

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

when Ottogi entered the Korean food industry with a curry powder in 1969. Korean curry, usually served with rice, is characterized by the golden yellow colour of turmeric. Curry tteokbokki is made of tteok (rice cakes), eomuk (fish cakes), eggs, vegetables, and curry. Curry can be added to Korean dishes such as

bokkeumbap ''Bokkeum-bap'' () or fried rice is a Korean dish made by stir-frying ''bap'' (cooked rice) with other ingredients in oil. * The name of the most prominent ingredient other than cooked rice often appears at the very front of the name of the dis ...

(fried rice), sundubujjigae (silken tofu stew), fried chicken, vegetable stir-fries, and salads.

Southeast Asia

Indian Indonesian cuisine consists of adaptations of authentic dishes from India, as well as original creations inspired by the diverse food culture of Indonesia. Curry in

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesia ...

is ''kari'' and in Javanese is ''kare''. In

Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...

especially in

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

, there is a dish called ''

lontong kari Nasi kari (lit. curry rice) is an Indonesian rice dish from Acehnese, Minangkabau and Malay cuisine as well as Javanese cuisine. This rice dish is popular in Sumatra and Java, Indonesia. Nasi kari comprises the following: * Steamed rice, k ...

'', a combined of lontong and beef yellow curry soup. In Javanese cuisine, ''kare rajungan'', blue swimmer crab curry has become a delicacy of Tuban Regency, East Java. Rendang, the national dish of Indonesia, which is originated from Minang, is drier and contains mostly meat and more coconut milk than a conventional Malaysian curry; it was mentioned in Malay literature in the 1550s by

Hikayat Amir Hamzah Hikayat Amir Hamzah (حكاية أمير حمزه) 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 ...

Malaysian cuisine Malaysian cuisine consists of cooking traditions and practices found in Malaysia, and reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. The vast majority of Malaysia's population can roughly be divided among three major ethnic groups: Mala ...

may have initially incorporated curries via the Indian population, but it has become a staple among the Malay and Chinese populations there. Malaysian curries typically use turmeric-rich curry powders, coconut milk, shallots, ginger, belacan (shrimp paste), chili peppers, and garlic. Tamarind is also often used. Myanma cuisine

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine () encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with ne ...

, curries are broadly called ''hin''. Burmese curries generally consist of protein that is simmered in a curry base of aromatics including shallots, onions, ginger, and garlic, alongside dried spices like turmeric, paprika, and garam masala. Burmese curries generally differ from other Southeast Asian curries in that dried spices are also used commonly to season the dishes, while coconut milk is only used sparingly for select dishes. Philippine Chicken curry

In the Philippines, two kinds of curry traditions are seen corresponding with the cultural divide between the Hispanicised north and Indianised/Islamised south. In the northern areas, a linear range of new curry recipes could be seen. The most common is a variant of the native (chicken cooked in coconut milk) dish with the addition of curry powder, known as the " Filipino chicken curry". This is the usual curry dish that northern Filipinos are familiar with. Similarly, other northern Filipino dishes that can be considered "curries" are usually (cooked with coconut milk) variants of other native meat or seafood dishes such as , , and , that simply add curry powder or non-native Indian spices. Phanaeng mu

In Thai cuisine, curries are called , and usually consist of meat, fish or vegetables in a sauce based on a paste made from chilies, onions or shallots, garlic, and shrimp paste. Additional spices and herbs define the type of curry. Local ingredients, such as chili peppers, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal are used and, in central and southern Thai cuisine, coconut milk. Northern and northeastern Thai curries generally do not contain coconut milk. Due to the use of sugar and coconut milk, Thai curries tend to be sweeter than Indian curries. In the West, some of the Thai curries are described by colour; red curries use red chilies while green curries use green chilies. Yellow curry—called (by various spellings) in Thai, of which a literal translation could be "curry soup"—is more similar to Indian curries, with the use of turmeric, cumin, and other dried spices. A few stir-fried Thai dishes also use an Indian style curry powder (Thai: ). In Vietnamese cuisine, it is known as ''cà ri'' and it is made ingredients such as coconut milk, potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, chicken along with coriander and green onions. This dish is more like soup than Indian curry. Goat meat curry is also available, but only in a few special restaurants in Vietnam. Curry is often served with bread, vermicelli or rice. Curry is considered a dish in the south. The other ingredients of the curry are very diverse, depending on the meat ingredients, the main fruit for cooking curry as well as the chef's creativity. Vietnamese curries are also made with coconut milk, red cashew, onions, ginger, meat of all kinds (pig, goat, beef, chicken, sheep, crocodile, ostrich and seafood), potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, radishes, vegetables, etc.

Africa

Consumption of curry spread to South Africa with the migration of people from the Indian subcontinent to the region in the colonial era. African curries, Cape Malay curries and Natal curries include the traditional Natal curry, the Durban curry,

Bunny chow Bunny chow, often referred to simply as a bunny, is an Indian South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry and a serving of salad on the side. It originated among Indian South Africans of Dur ...

, and roti rolls. South African curries appear to have been founded in both

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

and the Western Cape, while other curries developed across the country over the late 20th century and early 21st century to include ekasi, coloured, and

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

curries. Durban has the largest population of Indians outside of India in the world. Bunny chow or a "set", a South African standard, consists of either lamb, chicken or bean curry poured into a tunnelled-out loaf of bread to be eaten with one's fingers by dipping pieces of the bread into it.

Europe

Curry is very popular in the United Kingdom, with a curry house in nearly every town. Such is the popularity of curry in the United Kingdom, it has frequently been called its "adopted national dish". 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 Indian food cooked to British taste, but with increasing demand for authentic Indian styles. As of 2015, curry houses accounted for a fifth of the restaurant business in the UK, but, being historically a low wage sector, they were plagued by a shortage of labour. Established Indian immigrants from South Asia were moving on to other occupations; there were difficulties in training Europeans to cook curry; and immigration restrictions, which require payment of a high wage to skilled immigrants, had crimped the supply of new cooks.

Curry powder

"Curry powder", as available in certain western markets, is a commercial spice blend, and first sold by Indian merchants to European colonial traders. This resulted in the export of a derived version of Indian concoction of spices. and commercially available from the late 18th century, with brands such as Crosse & Blackwell and Sharwood's persisting to the present. British traders introduced the powder to Meiji Japan, in the mid-19th century, where it became known as Japanese curry.

Gallery

File:Balti gosht.jpg, A balti lamb curry File:Chicken makhani.jpg, Butter chicken served in an Indian restaurant File:Buttermilk curry in a vessel.jpg, Buttermilk curry from Kerala File:Chicken Curry 1.JPG, Curry chicken from Pakistan File:Homemade chicken tikka masala.jpg, Homemade chicken tikka masala File:Meen curry 2.JPG, Indian fish curry File:Karnatakadishes.jpg, Karnataka food File:Thai green chicken curry and roti.jpg, Khiao wan curry File:Korean curry rice.jpg, Korean curry rice File:Angamaly mango curry with mango.jpg, Mango curry from Kerala File:Nihari.JPG, Nihari with nihari salad File:Vindalho.jpg, Pork vindaloo in a Goan restaurant File:Red roast duck curry.jpg, Red roast duck curry (hot and spicy) from Thailand File:Rice and chenopodium album leaf curry with potatoes and onions40.JPG, Rice and '' Chenopodium album'' leaf curry with onions and potatoes; a vegetarian curry File:Rogan josh02.jpg, Rogan josh curry File:Kaeng kari kai.JPG, Yellow curry File:Kadhi Chawal from India.jpg, Yoghurt and gram flour curry File:Spicy Anda Curry.jpg, Anda (egg) curry