CUISINES OF THE WORLD

THE FLAVORFUL DISH IS A MAINSTAY OF INDIA — BUT HAS TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD, TRANSFORMING ITSELF IN EVERY DESTINATION.

FIVE CURRIES

This cuisine is a mainstay of India — but has traveled all over the world, transforming itself in every destination.

The word “curry” is actually a twist on the Tamil word kari which, historically speaking, appeared fairly recently. However, the concept — a seasoned sauce to eat over rice — dates back at least 4,000 years to the Indian subcontinent. An idea this delicious was bound to spread. Today, curry is a household word, if not a household dish, that has traveled across the world in myriad manifestations.

INDIAN CURRY

India may be considered the cradle of curry and the varieties of the dish within its borders are as varied as the people themselves. A key seasoning in many Indian curries is itself made of varying ingredients: Garam masala is a mixture of toasted fresh cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, cumin, pepper, mace and/or nutmeg, all ground into a powder.

In a grand generalization, curries are divided by North and South. Northern India has thicker curries, meant to be eaten with breads. Along with onions, tomatoes and garlic, a key ingredient is dairy: yogurt, ghee (clarified butter) or paneer (a soft cheese) play starring roles. These curries are served as both meat and vegetarian dishes.

In contrast, southern India favors rice, and thus curry is a thinner consistency. The South may use milk, but prefers coconut to dairy products. Native fruits and curry leaves distinguish the flavor, and you can expect a more liberal addition of spicy chilies.

But this simplistic North/South division of curry styles ignores East vs. West distinctions; even specific states make their own claims as to how to properly cook curry. And as Indians migrated into other parts of the world, the curry concept followed with them, and took on even more diversity.

THAI CURRY

Thailand’s curries are known for their heat, and for flavors quite different from India. Mounds of colored curry pastes are common at local markets and menus refer to most of them by color: red, green and yellow curry. Curry paste ingredients such as kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and galangal give it a distinct zesty taste, while shrimp paste and fish sauce — pungent items which, when isolated, can be shocking to the sense of smell — provide an irreplaceable bit of salt and umami. Shallots, coriander root, garlic and Thai basil enrich curries even further, and palm sugar brings a balancing touch of sweetness.

Red curry is often the mildest (as in least spicy), and shares its color with panang and massaman curries, which are thicker with coconut cream. While pork, chicken and seafood are popular protein options, massaman curry also contains peanuts and is frequently served with beef, as its origins are Muslim. Yellow curry, like massaman, is a dish of the South, and will test the limits of your spicy tolerance. All of these incorporate coconut milk, while many curries of the North do not. For example, add turmeric and Indian curry powder to red curry (without coconut) and you get the curry-soup khao soi, served with noodles in the north around Chiang Mai.

CARIBBEAN CURRY

The British Empire, first through business interests and then through political control, gradually came to occupy the entire Indian subcontinent by 1857. When Brits stationed there returned to England, they’d become addicted to the flavorful dishes. Many of the fresh ingredients could not be found back in England, so the Indians developed an easy substitute that could travel: a blend of dried spices which — though varying in recipes and proportions — became known simply as “curry powder.”

After the British abolished slavery, waves of indentured laborers from India migrated to the Caribbean islands for work and the offer of land. As many of the fresh vegetable and fruit ingredients from India were not available, cooks found local substitutes and incorporated curry powder mixed with either a bit of water or coconut milk to cook chicken, goat, pork or fish. Often the bright-yellow, islandgrown Scotch bonnet pepper provided the heat, while those Indian ingredients that grow in temperate zones, such as carrots and cauliflower, were replaced with regional beans. In Jamaica, chicken curry is as ubiquitous as jerk chicken; throughout the Caribbean, curried seafood dishes appear on most menus.

JAPANESE CURRY

Japan came by curry in a less direct route. In the late 19th century, the advent of the Meiji period opened the doors to trade. Having resisted colonization and foreign influence for centuries, Japan welcomed British ships into ports … and thus, that golden, Anglo-Indian powder invaded the island nation.

But the Japanese developed their own approach to cooking with it. A blend of curry powder and flour is fried in butter to create a curry roux to which cooks add vegetables, meat and stock. Add a dash of cream and the sauce, brown-colored like gravy, comes served over rice. By the end of the 19th century, it was already a popular dish and was even used to entice men to sign up for the military: Mess halls promised curry and rice to the troops.

Today, menus offer a choice of spice-heat level, but for many palates these may seem like multiple versions of “mild.” Unlike Japanese dishes such as sushi or okonomiyaki, which come with strict guidelines and training for preparation, curry is a casual pour of gravy over rice, eaten with a spoon, with fermented veggies on the side. A comfort food as popular as ramen, curry offers a quick meal at home, or at the train station, or after a long day.

BURMESE CURRY

Burma, now Myanmar, lies just below Bangladesh and the Indian subcontinent and was also occupied by the British, so it’s no surprise that Indian curry traveled here and was transformed. Unlike their Thai neighbors’ dishes, Burmese curries don’t incorporate coconut milk, and in fact are a bit oily. They can be either spicy or mildly sweet. Some curries are served with noodles instead of rice. A big difference, however, is that the main ingredient for the gravy is onion. This is combined with red chilies and garam masala, turmeric and that pungent shrimp paste (or a fish equivalent) to take Indian curry in yet another direction. But as we’ve seen throughout the world, people will follow curry wherever it takes them.