Curry powder
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| Type | Curry |
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| Place of origin | South Asia |
| Main ingredients | Spices (coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers) |
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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 South Asian food, though a similar mixture of spices used in north South Asia is called garam masala. The word "curry" is derived from the Tamil word kari meaning "sauce, relish for rice". However, use of curry-like mixtures was prevalent in South Asia long before the arrival of Europeans in India. In fact, almost 4000 years prior, spice blends with key ingredients of ginger, garlic, and turmeric were used in the Indus Valley Civilization. The chili pepper, a ubiquitous ingredient in curry today, was brought to South Asia from the Americas through the Columbian Exchange in the 16th century.
Most curry powder recipes include curry leaf, 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, white turmeric, long pepper, and black pepper may also be included. The Portuguese importation of the chili pepper from Brazil and their mixing of other Asian spices enabled the development of 'curi'.
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Wikipedia