Curry? Ask a typical individual on the street in India where you can eat it. In all probability, you would be met with a blank stare. The truth is, there is no such thing! At least, not as it is cooked up by the manufacturers of ready-to-eat foods in the superstores of the world. Imagine if French cuisine were to be lumped together with German, Italian and Spanish food as European cookery - it may start off one more French Revolution! Indians, however, seem in peace that the world refers to their amazingly varied cooking simply as - curry!
So, if curry is not quite Indian food, what is? That is a topic worthy of an complete book! For now, let us just say that India is residence to as many cuisines as its 28 states - - then some more. Climate, locally available produce, culture, regimes and religious beliefs have inspired these regional cuisines over thousands of years, giving each its distinctive identity. In the southern and coastal areas, rice rules - the ideal light cereal for a warm, humid weather. Huge areas of western India are mostly vegetarian thanks to the influence of the Jain religion, while eastern India cannot do without its seafood. Its former Portuguese rulers heavily influenced the cuisine of Goa in southwestern India. Further north, wheat is more popular, and so is non-vegetarian Indian food. Eating behaviors are adjusted to suit the great variation between the seasons - summer foods are simple, low fat and lightly made, while winter is the time to savor spicier, high calorie meats, whole lentils - protein-rich vegetables for warmth - energy.
There are differences in cooking oils and seasonings too, and the same ingredients prepared in one region taste distinctive in another. Southern India prefers peanut, sunflower or coconut oil. The pungent aroma of mustard oil differentiates recipes from West Bengal in the east, while many people in the north use ghee or clarified butter - in spite the health warnings! Usually, a lentil-based gravy would be seasoned with mustard and dried red chilies in southern India. Large parts of the rest of India, though, use cumin seeds - fresh, green chilies. Ah, gravies - you think maybe you found the curry here? What is common to all Indian cuisines is the careful use of varied spice combos, for their flavoring - digestive properties. Turmeric, used all over India, is a powerful antiseptic. Ginger, garlic, bay leaf and asafetida combat indigestion - flatulence. Coriander and chili powder add zest and thicken gravies (or curries, if you will!). Fenugreek is favored in hot weather for its cooling effects.
Is all Indian food spicy? Hah, another parable that needs busting! Blame all those restaurateurs who serve their unsuspecting clients generic, angry looking gravies (curries), with bits of meat and veggies. Truth is, Indian cooking goes from spicy to subtle, with a whole range in between to satisfy the most sensitive of palates. Usually, a full-course meal is a delicious balanced mix of flavors and aromas (with desserts to die for). Also, it is a flexi-cuisine; experimenting with a lower spice level won't wreck your dinner. You are what you eat - while Indian vegetarian food is believed to induce calm thoughts and sharpen the intellect, meat is thought to stoke the passions. Choose the right ingredients, and with some imagination and some magic you could rustle up a custom curry. Curry, anyone?
Kiran is a trained chef and a writer and contributes her knowledge of Indian culture at Indian Recipe blog and Chip Tolaney
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