What is Indian Curry?

July 10, 2015

At Royal Nawaab London we have a wide selection of Indian curries available in our buffet. We think having the option to try different curries means you can taste many different flavours and spices. Indian curry is filled with a rich infusion of spices and that’s what makes them special.

Without a doubt, Indian curry is one of the tastiest meals in the world. Researchers have even completed a study to understand why Indian food is so delicious.

When you talk about curry in the UK, the word is synonymous for all varieties of Asian curry. You may not know but the word ‘curry’ is not really used in India – the word was invented when Indian recipes were introduced into Europe.

History of ‘Curry’

Curries have made India renowned for its curry cuisine but the word ‘curry’ is not commonly used in India to describe their food. In fact, in India, curries are usually referred to by name like Vindaloo, Jalfrezi, Balti, etc.

The word ‘curry’ came later when Indian food recipes were introduced into Europe.

It is believed the word ‘curry’ first came from the Portuguese as they started eating Indian foods when they started to colonise parts of India. In Portugal they referred to broths with Indian spices and butter as ‘caree.’

In the UK, the word ‘curry’ was eventually adopted and became the universal term to describe most Indian dishes.

Indian actress and food writer, Madhur Jaffrey said in 1974, it was derogatory to use the word curry to describe all of India’s ‘curry’ dishes because it was like referring to all the food in China as chop suey.

We understand what Jaffrey means as there are so many variations of curry they should not be referred to as one synonymous name.

At our restaurant in London we have a great selection of Indian and Pakistani food. Try our Butter Chicken, Keema Muttar, Namkin Gosht and many more.