Curry powder
| Curry powder | |
|---|---|
| Curry | |
 | |
| Place of origin: | |
| South Asia | |
| Main ingredient(s): | |
| Spices (coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers) | |
| Recipes at Wikibooks: | |
 Curry powder | |
| Media at Wikimedia Commons: | |
 Curry powder |
Curry powder is a spice mix of widely varying composition based on South Asian cuisine. Curry powder and the contemporary English use of the word "curry" are Western inventions and do not reflect any specific Indian food, though a similar mixture of spices used in north India is called garam masala. Curry powder is actually closer to the Tamil sambar powder,[citation needed] and the word "curry" is derived from the Tamil word kari meaning "sauce, relish for rice", or from the Kannada word karil or from the Telugu word kuura.[1][2]
Description
In the Western world, curry powder mixtures tend to have a fairly standardised taste, though a great variety of spice mixtures are used in Indian cuisine. Indian cooks often have readier access to a variety of fresh spices than their foreign counterparts. Some curry cooks will have their own specific mixtures for different recipes.
History
Curry powder was largely popularised during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries through the mass export of the condiment to the western table throughout Europe and North and South America, and through its use in British Army nations. Curry powder did not become standardised, as many of the original blends of curry powder were still available throughout the world. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a growth of Indian-based food consumption in the West and internationally. This led to an increase of Indian restaurants throughout the world. The tradition of keeping special blends of curry powder simply became uneconomical, and curry powder became increasingly standardised outside India.
Ingredients
Most curry powder recipes include coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers in their blends. Depending on the recipe, additional ingredients such as ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, long pepper, and black pepper may also be included.[citation needed] However, the Portuguese importation of the chilli pepper from Brazil and their mixing of other Asian spices enabled the development of 'curi'.[3]
Nutritional information
1 tablespoon of curry powder contains the following nutritional information according to the USDA:[4]
- Calories : 20 kcal
- Fat: 0.87 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.66 g
- Fibers: 2.1 g
- Protein: 0.8 g
See also
References
- ↑ "curry, n.2". OED Online. June 2013. Oxford University Press. Retrieved: 2013-08-29.
- ↑ Harper, Douglas (November 2001). "Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- ↑ Page, Martin (2007). The First Global Village: How Portugal Changed the World. Casa das Letras. p. 148. ISBN 978-972-46-1313-0.
- ↑ "NDL/FNIC Food Composition Database Home Page". Nal.usda.gov. Retrieved 2013-10-22.