Curry powder

History

As commercially available in Western markets, curry powder is comparable to the traditional Indian spice mixture known as garam masala ('warm spices'). Conceived as a ready-made ingredient intended to replicate the flavor of an Indian sauce, it was first sold by Indian merchants to British traders during the period of Company rule in India. The first commercially available curry powder in England was advertised by Sorlie's Perfumery Warehouse on Piccadilly in 1784.

Curry powder was used as an ingredient in 18th-century British recipe books, and commercially available from the late 18th century, with brands such as Crosse & Blackwell and Sharwood's persisting to the present. In Australia, a common curry spice mix is Keen's. The ingredient "curry powder", along with instructions on how to produce it, is also seen in 19th-century US and Australian cookbooks, and advertisements.

British traders introduced the powder to Meiji Japan, in the mid-19th century, where it became known as "Japanese curry", and evolved into a distinct dish.

In her 1895 book Anglo-Indian Cooking at Home, Henrietta Hervey described how to make three curry powders, which she called "Madras", "Bombay", and "Bengal". The "Madras" powder recipe called for coriander, saffron, chilli, mustard seed, pepper, and cumin, among other ingredients. The "Bombay" recipe used coriander, cumin, turmeric, mustard seed, pepper, chillies, and a little fenugreek. The "Bengal" mixture consisted mainly of coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, black pepper, and chilli. For cooks in England, Hervey suggested the commercial Crosse & Blackwell mixture, which she called "the nearest approach to the real article", but "a pis aller [a desperate measure] at the best". Hervey's recipe for an Anglo-Indian favourite for a British audience, "Country Captain" chicken curry, consisted of a chicken cut into joints, dusted with curry powder, and fried with onions.