Introduction
Curry generally refers to the umbrella term for a number of dishes originating in the Indian subcontinent cuisine. The word curry was adopted and Anglicized from the Tamil word kari, meaning sauce. The use of complex combination of herbs is one of the main features of curry. Some of the herbs used to make curry include cumin, turmeric, ginger, as well as fresh or dried hot chilies. Usually, some of the curry dishes prepared in the southern states of India could be spiced with curry tree leaves. It is important to realize that there are several varieties of dishes referred to as curries 1 . For instance, the original traditional cuisines, as well as the selection of spices for each particular dish were determined by the regional cultural tradition, family preference, and religious practice. Spices can be used as whole or ground. Additionally, the spices can be added at different times during the entire cooking process. Curry powder is a commercially prepared mixture of spices. It is entirely a Western creation dating back to the 18 th century.
The Origin
Curry originated in India. In India, each curry dish is given a different name. Basically, Indians use a variety of vegetables and meat in their curries. It is important to point out that the spice mixes and pastes used to create curries vary significantly. Usually, each farmer producing spice creates his spice mix using up to 20 different spices. The commonly used spices include cumin, coriander seeds, ground turmeric, allspice, fenugreek, ground ginger, cardamom seeds and pods, ground mustard, roasted cumin, chili, cloves, white and black pepper, mace, nutmeg, and bay leaves. Although curry is generally associated with hot and spicy peppers, the original Indian curry did not have any peppers in it. This is because peppers were not native in India until when Christopher Columbus brought the chill seeds back from the new world. When Columbus brought the chill seeds, peppers made their way into the realm of Indian cooking and became part of the spicy curries that are known and loved today.
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However, research has shown that the original curry predates Europeans’ presence in India by about 4,000 years. The Indian society began to flourish almost the same time when the Egyptians built their pyramids. Although the Indians are less well known compared to their more famous cousins to the west, they boasted large and carefully planned urban centers. They developed sophisticated water and sewerage systems that remained unmatched until Roman times. By the 2500 B.C and 1800 B.C, the Indians had dominated a land area larger than ancient Mesopotamia, covering much of Western India and today’s Pakistan. Although the ancients left no recipes, they left behind plenty of broken pots, along with mud brick house foundations. The three basic ingredients of the spicy stew were mainly ginger, turmeric, and garlic. A method known as starch grain analysis was used by archaeologists to establish the residues that were used to prepare the ancient spices in pottery shards and skeletons from excavations in India 2 . Basically, starch is the primary way in which the plants store energy. Tiny amounts of starch can remain long after the plant itself has deteriorated. They were dated to between 2500 B.C and 2200B.C. The tiny microscopic remains can actually be identified by archaeologists, as each plant species leaves its own specific molecular signature. To a careful researcher, the molecular signatures tell the exact story of what a cook dropped into the dinner pot 4,500 years ago. The archaeologists also examined the human teeth, as well as the residue from the cooking pots. They spotted the telltale signs of ginger and turmeric, the two primary ingredients of a typical curry. Most importantly, the discovery of a carbonized glove of garlic serves to support the theory that curry is not only the world’s most popular dishes, but also the oldest ever cuisine continuously prepared on the planet.
Britain established a foothold in India since 1600 courtesy of the British East India Company. The British East India Company introduced the famous Indian spices to the British. As such, the curry powder was born from the attempt to imitate the flavor of the Indian curries during the mid to late 1800s. Curry later on became Europe’s most popular dish with a cream sauce flavored by curry powder. It is important to realize that Queen Victoria gave Indian cookery a significant boost, particularly when she became Empress of India in 1877. The queen never visited India but she was fascinated by the curry. Fortunately, she was given two Indian servants who managed to cook her favorite dishes. Her enthusiasm for India can be seen at Osborne House where she displayed Indian paintings, furnishings, and objects in a designated wing. This indicates that the queen was interested in much of India’s cultural and traditional aspects. Her servants would don elaborate costumes to serve the curries.
The general British population wanted to emulate their queen with regards to their choice of food. During this time, several cookbooks were produced featuring the Indian curries. Additionally, there also some enterprising individuals, particularly Edmund White, who produced curry powders for use in the home. The curries became popular in middle class households. However, the curries bore little resemblance to the dishes they sought to replicate from India. Although curry remained a preserve of the upper and middle classes until after the Second World War when immigration from India increased, exposing more people to the delicacy 3 . The British companies back in India were already manufacturing curry powders branded with names such as ‘The Empress’ 4 . They were sold not only to London housewives but also to colonial subjects. The colonial soon became Britain’s solution to the labor shortage brought about by the abolition of slave trade. Over the next several decades, Britain sent over 1.5 million Indians to work as laborers on rubber and cane plantations in South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius, the Caribbean, and Guyana. The Indian laborers were generally promised a nominal salary, along with rations of lentils, rice, and curry powder. This was followed by a significant decline in the demand and cost of spices in Europe. However, Britain started trading in something more valuable: opium. The British established strait settlements at Malacca, Penang, and Singapore during the period between 1789 and 1867. This was aimed at protecting their back route into China, where opium trade was outlawed. As such, the British travelled with opium to smuggle and curry powder to cook. Curry proved to be addictive, spreading fast. Curry powder ended up in the kitchens of Hong Kong and Thailand. The British took curry powder wherever they went, with the next stop being Japan. Under the Meiji government, curries were used to disguise bland meats for the military. Curries became a staple of both navy and army canteens. In the wake of the Second World War, Japan began to pressure former imperial subjects to repatriate. This led to some taking curries back home to North Korea. As a result, curry emerged as the center of a new spice trade in the world’s most isolated country.
The Portuguese arrived in India first in 1498. They landed at the palm-toothed southern shores and they were in search of cloves, cardamom, and black pepper, all of which were the world most treasured commodities. The Portuguese lacked a word to effectively describe the spicy coconut thickened stews they encountered in India. They went ahead to make up one curry, which they called carel. The Portuguese later established a trading center in Goa around 1510. They introduced the Chilly pepper to Indians. The peppers ended up being used very liberally in Goan and Andhra food. By the 19 th century, the recipe for curry found its way to the Caribbean. The Indian workers who worked in the British sugar industry played a significant role in the introduction of curry in the Caribbean.
North and South India Curry
It is worth noting that there is a clear difference between curries cooked in North India and those cooked in South India. The curries prepared in North India rely heavily on such ingredients as masalas, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, onions, desi ghee, cream, and butter. On the other hand, the curries from south India are generally flavored with cloves, turmeric, cumin, coconut milk, and curry leaves 5 . For instance, curries from Goa are well known for their signature tang. A lot of vinegar and wine are used as seasoning agents. Additionally, the North Indian curries are generally eaten with unleavened bread such as parantha, roti, and naan while South Indian curries are eaten with boiled rice. Curries are normally high on taste and are known to have some health benefits. For instance, studies have shown that the ingredients in curry help to prevent medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and colon cancer. Moreover, the reactions of the pain receptors to the hot ingredients in curry help in the release of Endorphins. The Endorphins lead to a feel of wellbeing and happiness among those who eat curries.
Authenticity of Curry
The authenticity of foods has been a difficult idea to pin down. Authenticity has been generally tied up with the notion of authorship. Thus, the working definition of authentic food could be the dishes which are true to themselves, as well as to the person cooking them. Basically, authenticity cannot be about a place, as the ingredients used may taste different depending on where they are grown. Being authentic does not mean that a particular food cannot evolve 6 . As such, curry has definitely evolved over time. This is because dishes which are considered to be classics of the local cuisine do not taste as they used to some years ago in many places. It is important to realize that the influences of trade, travel, and other cultures, as well as the availability of ingredients are some of the factors influencing the evolution of particular traditional dishes. For instance, heat was brought to Indian curries by the black pepper, an ingredient introduced in the 16 th century by the Portuguese. Therefore, an authentic curry is anyone that captures the spirit of the original.
However, culturally hijacking an ethnic dish for commercial reasons may have negative impacts on value and perception of such a dish by an ethnic group. This could result to a reciprocal effect whereby members of a culture attempt to reclaim their dishes by enforcing strict authenticity standards that may limit the culinary creativity of other members belonging to the culture. Westerners, who are considered outsiders, are known to hijack ethnic foods through planned authenticity. Planned authenticity refers to the practice of creating an unrealistic understanding of a culture’s dish in order to sell the dish to western societies. This is because the westerners generally consider something that is strange in a culture’s food as exotic to them. The exotic items then become a distinguishing and authentic aspect about a culture’s dish. For instance, the Indian curry was created by British colonialists by blending certain Indian foods with British cuisine, then advertising it as Indian cuisine 7 . This was probably a form of marketing gimmick. Hijacking of a particular culture’s food is considered undesirable as it may lead to the loss of the history and stories of such a culture.
With regards to the hijacking of curry, some Indians may respond by attempting to defend their culture’s food identity by keeping it in its original form. The insiders have the authority over what should be considered authentic or not, particularly when it comes to their culture’s food. Although it may seem positive to defend one’s culture’s food identity, such actions may significantly restrict the culinary creativity of their own culture. It is important to realize that members of a particular culture can experiment with one of their traditional foods by adding new ingredients. Adding new ingredients does not necessarily mean that the food has been rendered unauthentic. This is because any other cultural dish is bound to evolve.
Conclusion
Originating in India, curry has grown to become one of the most internationalized foods on the globe. Curry entered Britain and carved out for itself a very special place in the hearts of British. Basically, curry has evolved over time and the idea of authenticity is baseless. The Portuguese led to the introduction of black pepper in the curry. However, that did not make curry unauthentic. Although traditional recipes demand some respect, the authentic dish is one that captures the spirit of the original. This is attested by the fact that curry is found in China, Japan, Thailand, Britain, US, and Fiji among other regions. Thus, curry, regardless of ingredients and region, remains authentic.
Bibliography
Maroney, “Making Curry the Authentic Way: Curry in 18 th Century Britain,” Food and Foodways 19 (2011): 122-34.
Ji-Song Ku,” Review: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors,” Food and Foodways 14 (2008): 315
Meredith Abacra, “Authentic or Not, It’s Original,” Food and Foodways 12 (2004): 1-25.
Lawler, “The Mystery of Curry,” Slate http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/01/indus_civilization_food_how_scientists_are_figuring_out_what_curry_was_like.html
Kirchner, “People Have Been Eating Curry for 4,500 Years,” Smithsonian https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-been-eating-curry-for-4500-years-8604270/
1 Lawler, “The Mystery of Curry,” Slate
2 Kirchner, “People Have Been Eating Curry for 4,500 Years,” Smithsonian
3 Maroney, “Making Curry the Authentic Way: Curry in 18 th Century Britain,” Food and Foodways 19 (2011): 125.
4 Ji-Song Ku,” Review: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors,” Food and Foodways 14 (2008): 315
5 Ji-Song Ku,” Review: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, 315
6 Meredith Abacra, “Authentic or Not, It’s Original,” Food and Foodways 12 (2004): 21
7 Meredith Abacra, “Authentic or Not, It’s Original,” Food and Foodways 12 (2004): 17
