Curry - Origins and Dissemination

Origins and Dissemination

Dishes of highly spiced meat are thought to have originated in pre-historic times among the inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilization. Archaeological evidence dating to 2600 BCE from Mohenjo-daro suggests the use of mortar and pestle to pound spices including mustard, fennel, cumin, and tamarind pods with which they flavored food. Such dishes are also recorded during the Vedic Period of Indian history, roughly 1700 to 500 BCE.

Spiced dishes in the Indian style were apparently carried eastward to Burma, Thailand, and China by Buddhist monks in the 7th century CE, and carried southwards to Indonesia, The Philippines, and elsewhere by coastal traders at about the same time.

The establishment of the Mughal Empire, beginning in the early 16th century, transformed much of older Indian cuisine, especially in the north. The Mughals brought Persian ingredients and cooking methods as well as Islamic food practices.

Another important influence was the establishment of the Portuguese trading centre in Goa in 1510, resulting in the first introduction of the "chili" pepper to India. (Christopher Columbus introduced it to Europe after his first voyage to the New World in 1492.)

From the mid-19th century, curry has been increasingly popular in Great Britain.

During the 19th century, curry was also carried to the Caribbean by Indian indentured workers in the British sugar industry.

Since the mid-20th century, curries of many national styles have become popular far from their origins, and increasingly become part of international fusion cuisine.