Curry powder

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia


Curry powder
Curry powder in the spice-bazaar in Istanbul.jpg
TypeCurry
Region or stateIndian subcontinent
Main ingredientsSpices (coriander, turmeric, cumin, chili peppers)

Curry powder is a spice mix originating from the Indian subcontinent.[1][2]

History[edit]

Key ingredients of curry powder such as ginger, garlic, and turmeric have been in use for over 4000 years, at least since the Indus Valley Civilization.[3] As commercially available in Western markets, curry powder is comparable to the traditional Indian concoction of spices known as "garam masala".[4]

Conceived as a ready-made ingredient intended to replicate the flavor of an Indian sauce,[5][6] it was first sold by Indian merchants to British traders.[7] The ingredient "curry powder" is found in 18th century British recipe books,[8][9] with the first known advertisement for it appearing in 1784.[10] British traders introduced the powder to Meiji Japan, in the mid-19th century, where it became known as Japanese curry.[11]

Etymology[edit]

The word "curry" is a western coinage or a broad reference to various Indian curries prepared with different combinations of spices in the Indian subcontinent.[12][13] The sauce like component characterized with "curry" has been derived from the Tamil word kaṟi meaning 'sauce' or 'relish for rice', and finds synonyms with other regional references to local dishes evolving over thousands of years in the Indian subcontinent, such as "jhol", "kadhi", "shorba" and "kalia".[14][15]

Nutritional information[edit]

One tablespoon (6.3 g) of curry powder contains the following nutritional information according to the USDA:[16]

  • Food energy: 84 kJ (20 kcal)
  • Fat: 0.883 g
  • Carbohydrates: 3.52 g
  • Fibers: 3.35 g
  • Protein: 0.9 g

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Curry | food". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  2. ↑ Curried Cultures: Globalization, Food, and South Asia (1 ed.). University of California Press. 2012. ISBN 978-0-520-27011-4. JSTOR 10.1525/j.ctt7zw4ct.
  3. ↑ Lawler, Andrew (29 January 2013). "The Mystery of Curry". Slate. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. ↑ llays, M (1978). "The Spices of India-II". Economic Botany. 32 (3): 238–263.
  5. ↑ Krystal, Becky (19 September 2020). "Indian curries offer so much flavor and variety. These 6 recipes will expand your repertoire". The Washington Post.
  6. ↑ Iyer, Raghavan (2016). 660 Curries. Workman Publishing Company.
  7. ↑ Sahni, Julie (1980). Classic Indian Cooking. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 39–40.
  8. ↑ Taylor, Anna-Louise (11 October 2013). "Curry: Where did it come from?". BBC: Food Knowledge and Learning. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014.
  9. ↑ Monks discover chicken curry recipe in 200-year-old cookbook - Telegraph, Sophie Jamieson, 13 Jan 2016
  10. ↑ "First British advert for curry powder". British Library. 1784. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012.
  11. ↑ Itoh, Makiko (26 August 2011). "Curry — it's more 'Japanese' than you think". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  12. ↑ "Curry". Britannica.
  13. ↑ Collingham, Lizzie (2006). Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 115. No Indian, however, would have referred to his or her food as a curry. The idea of a curry is, in fact, a concept that the Europeans imposed on India's food culture. Indians referred to their different dishes by specific names ... But the British lumped all these together under the heading of curry.
  14. ↑ "Curry". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  15. ↑ Iyer, Raghavan (2016). 660 Curries. Workman Publishing Company.
  16. ↑ "Spices, curry powder". FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. 1 April 2019 [April 2018]. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Curry_powder&oldid=113391"