US Trends

whoinvented curry

No single person “invented” curry; it evolved over thousands of years from many different cooking traditions rather than being a one-time invention by a named chef or culture.

Quick Scoop: So who did invent curry?

  • The word “curry” comes from the Tamil word kari , meaning a spiced sauce or gravy.
  • Spiced stews and saucy dishes have existed in the Indian subcontinent for at least 3,000–4,000 years, as shown by archaeological evidence from the Indus Valley.
  • European traders and colonisers (Portuguese, then British, Dutch, French) helped turn many diverse South Asian dishes into the single catch‑all idea of “curry.”
  • The modern “curry powder” concept and the English word “currey/curry” were systematised and popularised by the British in the 1700s–1800s, especially through cookbooks.

So if you ask “whoinvented curry,” the honest answer is: no one person; it’s a mix of ancient South Asian cooking plus European colonial branding.

What “curry” originally meant

  • In South India, kari referred to a spiced sauce or dish eaten with rice or bread.
  • 16th–17th‑century Portuguese sources mention caril /carree for spicy South Indian dishes, based on trade with Tamil merchants.
  • Over time, European visitors used “curry” as a generic label for many different South Asian dishes, even though Indians themselves used specific names like saag , korma , vindaloo , sambar , etc.

In other words, what the West calls “curry” is really a huge family of distinct dishes across India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, the Caribbean, and more.

How the British shaped “curry”

Early colonial era

  • Portuguese reached India (Goa) in 1498 and helped introduce chillies from the Americas, which later became core to many “curries.”
  • British East India Company officers in the 17th century tasted local dishes (often called caril by the Portuguese) and wanted a way to recreate them back home.

Cookbooks and curry powder

  • One of the first English “currey” recipes appeared in Hannah Glasse’s famous cookbook The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (1747), described as “currey the India way.”
  • By the late 18th century, British cooks were selling standardised “curry powders” so people in Britain could imitate the flavours without an Indian cook.
  • This powder turned dozens of distinct regional dishes into one simplified product labelled “curry.”

Curry as a British national dish

  • Through the 19th and 20th centuries, “curry” restaurants, curry houses, and dishes like chicken tikka masala made curry central to British food culture.
  • By the 2000s, British politicians and media were casually calling curry a “national dish.”

So while South Asia created the dishes and techniques , the British empire created the modern, global category called “curry” (and curry powder).

Is curry actually Indian, British, or…?

You can look at “whoinvented curry” from multiple angles:

  1. Ancient South Asian angle
    • Evidence of spice blends, sesame, ginger, and turmeric in stews goes back to the Indus Valley Civilization (around 2500–2000 BCE).
 * Mughal and regional Indian cuisines later developed rich, layered gravies, slow-cooked meats, and complex masalas.

 * From this view, “curry” is basically a Western mislabel for a very old, very diverse set of South Asian dishes.
  1. Language and concept angle
    • The word itself is Tamil in origin (kari), filtered through Portuguese (caril) into English as “curry.”
 * No single Tamil cook “invented” _kari_ ; it’s a traditional word rooted in everyday cooking.
  1. British globalisation angle
    • British colonisers and merchants turned “curry” into a package: bottled powders, canned sauces, restaurant menus.
 * From this perspective, **the global product “curry” (especially curry powder) is essentially a British invention built on Indian food.**

How curry changed around the world

Once the “curry” idea existed, different regions made it their own:

  • India & South Asia: Hundreds of regional dishes (e.g., Goan vindaloo, Punjabi butter chicken, Bengali fish curries, Sri Lankan coconut‑based curries), each with distinct spice combinations and techniques.
  • United Kingdom: Thick gravies, standardised “curry house” menus, dishes like chicken tikka masala, Balti, and vindaloo adapted to local tastes.
  • Japan: “Curry rice” (kare raisu) arrived via the British navy in the 19th century, becoming a mild, roux‑based comfort food quite different from Indian curries.
  • Caribbean: Indo-Caribbean communities created goat, chicken, and chickpea curries, mixing Indian techniques with local ingredients and tastes.

So asking “whoinvented curry” is like asking “who invented soup?” —it’s a category with a long, tangled history rather than a single invention moment.

Simple HTML table: key points

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Aspect</th>
      <th>Details</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Original word</td>
      <td>Tamil <i>kari</i> = spiced sauce or gravy.[web:1][web:3][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Earliest roots</td>
      <td>Spiced stews in the Indian subcontinent, with evidence going back to the Indus Valley Civilization.[web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>European role</td>
      <td>Portuguese, then British and others, adopted and renamed many dishes as “curry.”[web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>First English “currey” recipe</td>
      <td>Hannah Glasse, <i>The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy</i>, 1747.[web:2][web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Curry powder</td>
      <td>Standardised British spice blend from late 18th century to mimic Indian flavours.[web:3][web:5][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Modern view</td>
      <td>No single inventor; a fusion of ancient South Asian cooking and later European branding and trade.[web:3][web:5][web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR (for search / SEO)

  • whoinvented curry?
    • No single inventor; it evolved from ancient South Asian spiced stews and sauces.
* The word comes from Tamil _kari_ , popularised via Portuguese and then British usage.

* British colonisation turned it into a global concept and commercial product (“curry powder,” “curry houses”).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.