Curry
Curry is a dish originating in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent . The common feature is the use of complex combinations of spices or herbs , usually including fresh or dried hot chillies . The use of the term is generally limited to dishes prepared in a sauce . Curry dishes prepared in the southern states of India may be spiced with leaves from the curry tree .
Archaeological evidence dating to 2600 BCE from Mohenjodaro suggests the use of mortar and pestle to pound spices including mustard , fennel , cumin , and tamarind pods with which they flavoured food . Black pepper is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia and has been known to Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE . Similarly the oldest surviving Roman cookbook , Apicius , details numerous recipes that require meats to be seasoned with vinegar , honey and ground herbs and spices including pepper , cumin , lovage , marjoram , mint , cloves and coriander .
The establishment of the Mughal Empire , in the early 16th century , influenced the Indian cuisine , especially in the north . Another influence was the establishment of the Portuguese trading centre in Goa in 1510 , resulting in the introduction of chili pepper to India from the Americas , as a byproduct of the Columbian Exchange . Curry was introduced to English cuisine starting with AngloIndian cooking in the 17th century as spicy sauces were added to bland boiled and cooked meats . The 1758 edition of Hannah Glasse ' s The Art of Cookery contains a recipe " To make a currey the Indian way ". Curry was first served in coffee houses in Britain from 1809 , and has been increasingly popular in Great Britain , with major jumps in the 1940s and the 1970s . During the 19th century , curry was also carried to the Caribbean by Indian indentured workers in the British sugar industry . Since the mid20th century , curries of many national styles have become popular far from their origins , and increasingly become part of international fusion cuisine .