The Philosophy of Curry

32 b/w photosHelpful advice on which oils to use, how to temper spices and where to find those all-important mouth-watering recipes.Continues a growing British Library series of popular food & drink-related Philosophies on cheese, tea, beer and gin.Various food historians have claimed over the centuries that curry comes from the Tamil word kari, which means either black pepper, spices generally, a spiced accompaniment to rice, a sauce, sautéed meat and vegetable dishes, or ‘to eat by biting’, depending on who you ask. They have also claimed that the word has roots not only in Tamil, but also in the Kannada and Malayalam languages.Medieval European food was heavily influenced by Arab cookery. Arab traders controlled the spice trade, but the high prices were becoming prohibitive, leading to a need for Europeans to find a direct route. With its ideal location between east and west, the port of Venice became the centre of a thriving trade for centuries, from where spices were exported overland to the rest of Europe via the Silk RoadDespite never having visited India, Queen Victoria was fascinated by the country and loved hearing about it. She had a few Indian servants and was particularly fond of one named Abdul Karim, who grew to be influential. Instead of having them wait on her, she asked them to cook chicken curries, which she loved, and ordered curries to be on the menu of her Isle of Wight retreat, Osborne House.During the Second World War, army cooks were given monthly supplies of curry powder and shown how to make curries using raisins, tropical fruit and a roux made of curry powder and plain flour. Many British men who’d never eaten a curry before got their first taste in the army or navy.The first curry recipes appeared in a regional American cookbook, The Virginia Housewife, or Methodical Cook(1824) by Mary Randolph (1762–1828), which lists chicken curry ‘after the East India manner’, catfish curry and curry powder. Like Anglo-Indian curries, early American curries contained apples, bananas and sultanas. I have even seen modern recipes that include fresh or evaporated milk, salted peanuts, bacon bits, cranberries and Coca-Cola.