Curry

 I started my research deep dive into the history of curry at WSU library's website.  This did not produce the results I'm used to finding.  Sure, I found plenty of articles on medicinal uses of turmeric.  Loads of cookbook reviews.  But nothing that really helped trace the origins of curry.  

Fine.

I tried Google Scholar.  Same problem.

I broke down and used the regular internet.  And still was having difficulties finding anything I would consider reputable.  One Atlantic article and one Food and Wine article were the only two that really stood out from the plethora of blogs and wiki pages.  This alone is interesting, and I think connected to the challenge curry presents. *I'm mad at the Atlantic article bc it lured me in promising me a nice long article filled with written words, but noooooo it was a podcast with no transcript. SNORE

Because here's the thing, no one can agree what curry actual is.

 The Word

Curry is not an Indian word.  According to Sejal Sukhadwala, a London food writer who wrote this massive book called, "The Philosophy of Curry" the word curry could have originated from Portuguese, or maybe Malayalam, or Kannada, or Tamil, (Uyehara).  All of these, if you squint just right, have a word that sounds somewhat similar to curry.  However, that were the similarities end.  The Tamil translation basically means a spiced sauce.  There weren't any hard and fast rules of what spices were included in it.

It was Britian who decreed curry to be a blend of spices typically containing: coriander, turmeric, black pepper, ginger, and cumin.  It was the colonization of India that connected the British to these spices and the various dishes that they called "curry".  

The Ingredients

It wasn't just the word itself that these various countries couldn't agree on, it was what was IN curry. There are curries all over Southeast Asia, Japan, Caribbean, South Africa, and West Africa in thanks to colonization and indentured servants,(Uyehara).  The only thing that is agreed upon is that this versatile dish is meant to be made with whatever is lying around and tastes gorgeous. 

The spices found in curry are an amalgamation of the globe.  The chiles most of us think of in Indian food were a New World addition that wouldn't find their way into the pots of Southeastern Asians until those colonizing fiends, the British arrived,(Uyehara).  I learned there is a curry tree that some people use the leaves in their "curry" dishes.  

Medicinal Uses

Curry powder is not used medicinally but the individual spices are.  Turmeric showed up on the American scene a few years ago as THE new treatment for all things connected to aging.  Take it in pill form.  Or mix in some non-dairy milk with a little honey.  Thanks to the lovely people over at the NIH, I can tell you that.....it's tasty.  Apparently, the delightful spice is not the easiest to test due to its' instability. 

However, they also said that it has been used by Indian, Eastern Asian, and Chinese medical systems to treat "disorders of the skin, upper respiratory tract, joints, and the digestive system,"(Turmeric).  Here in the US it's been touted as helping "arthritis, digestive disorders, respiratory infections, allergies, liver disease, depression, and many others,"(Turmeric).

The Conclusion

Curry is delicious, healthy, and easy to flex around whatever is on hand.  These are the trademarks of a dish that has needed to move alongside its' people.  It is a global food dish and whether it contains the chiles and sweet potatoes of the New World, the turmeric and cardamon from India, or the bay leaves from Carribean, it will fill the stomach while nourishing the soul.

Different Curry Powder Recipes

Jamaican

Northern Indian

South African

Southern Indian

Thai

Works Cited:

Uyehara, Mari. The Real Story of Curry. "Food and Wine". 14, Sept. 2022. The Real Story of Curry (foodandwine.com)

Turmeric. National Institutes of Health. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Turmeric | NCCIH (nih.gov)