Curry - Origins and HIstory
Health Benefits of Spices
The definition of curry varies from one culture to the next. For instance, curry in India refers to a spicy stew or gravy with a sauce base, whereas in the UK it is used to describe any type of savoury Indian food. There are also variations, in terms of taste and spices, in what others such as the Portuguese, Thai or Japanese identify as curry.
The History of Curry
Even though curry is generally categorised as an Indian dish these days, the earliest known recipe for meat in spicy sauce with bread was discovered near Babylon in Mesopotamia, on a tablet printed in cuneiform text. This was way back in 1700 BC, and the dish was probably used as an offering to the god Marduk.
As for the name of “curry”, a plausible origin may be from the Tamil word “karil” which means spiced sauces. Britain’s Pat Chapman of Curry Club fame suggested that it may have been derived from the Hindi words “karahi” or “karai”, meaning a wok-shaped cooking dish. These indications point back to the idea that curry was first popularised by Indians.
However, there have been records of 16th century Dutch explorers coming across a dish called “carriel”, and there is also a Portuguese cookbook dating back to the 17th century which talks about a chilli-based curry powder called “caril”.
Other evidence suggest, however, that the word “curry” may have been English all along. During the reign of Richard I in the 12th century, there was a revolution in English cooking. With the abundance of spices available in the more opulent kitchens, cooks were regularly using ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, galingale, cubebs, coriander, cumin, cardamom and aniseed. This resulted in highly spiced cooking with a decidedly Indian flavour.
In 1390, Richard II commissioned 200 cooks and several philosophers to produce what is known as “the first real English cookery book”, containing 196 recipes. This cooking guide was named “The Forme of Cury”, with “cury” being an old English word derived from the French word “cuire”, meaning to cook, boil or grill.
Curry Powder, Spices and Health Benefits
There is no standardised list of ingredients which go into the making of curry, as they vary according to each cook’s taste buds, and also depending on the type of meat or vegetables being cooked.
Curry powder usually consists of turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, salt, five spice powder (which is made of cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, bay leaf and cumin) and red chilli powder.
Making curry is not as simple as adding curry powder to a dish, however, it is the seasoning that does the trick. According to the basic Ayurvedic recommendations, seasoning could be cumin seeds, turmeric powder, coriander powder, ginger powder or slices, fennel seeds, crushed black peppers, nigella seeds, mustard seeds and bay leaf.
Not only is curry delicious, each ingredient contributing to it carries health benefits. For instance, cumin and mustard and fennel seeds stimulate overall digestion. Turmeric is an excellent antiseptic and blood purifier. Coriander alleviates flatulence; whereas black pepper stimulates appetite and is rich in chromium.
Curry Around the World
The popularity of curry surged post-World War II, when increasing numbers of Asians migrated to European countries to ease labour shortages, and also bringing with them exotic flavours they grew up with.
Today, curry has made the leap across cultures, contributing to the diversity and colour of cuisine worldwide. No matter where one is in the world, it should not be difficult to find like-minded curry lovers – and restaurants selling curry, of course.
Delicious Rogan Josh lamb curry
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