Lisa Ann wrote:
> After looking at modom's picture of dinner and reading his post, I realized
> that I truly have no idea what "a curry" is.
>
> But what is "a curry"?
>
> And if it's simply "food cooked with curry seasonings", please just laugh
> hysterically at me and carry on.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah a. . . .

curry
>From the southern Indian word kari, meaning "sauce," comes this
catch-all term that is used to refer to any number of hot, spicy,
gravy-based dishes of East Indian origin. Curry powder is an integral
ingredient in all curries.

curry powder
Widely used in Indian cooking, authentic Indian curry powder is freshly
ground each day and can vary dramatically depending on the region and
the cook. Curry powder is actually a pulverized blend of up to 20
spices, herbs and seeds. Among those most commonly used are cardamom,
chiles, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek,
mace, nutmeg, red and black pepper, poppy and sesame seeds, saffron,
tamarind and turmeric (the latter is what gives curried dishes their
characteristic yellow color). Commercial curry powder (which bears
little resemblance to the freshly ground blends of southern India)
comes in two basic styles - standard, and the hotter of the two,
"Madras." Since curry powder quickly loses its pungency, it should be
stored, airtight, no longer than 2 months.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.