Curry

Curry is a spice blend and not a plant: usually ground, based on turmeric, which provides the yellow color, and on a dozen other spices ranging from coriander to chili; in Europe, the word also refers to dishes with a thick curry sauce.

Curry is a spice blend, not a plant: usually ground, based on turmeric, which provides the yellow color, and a dozen other spices ranging from coriander to chili; in Europe, the word also refers to dishes with a creamy curry sauce.

The Duden dictionary mentions both in the same breath: the hot, savory, dark yellow spice blend of Indian origin and the Indian dish made of meat or fish with curry sauce, rice, and vegetables. The word is Anglo-Indian and traces back to the Tamil word "kari," meaning sauce. The English coined it during their colonial rule, and in Asia itself, it is rarely used for dishes; there, the blends are called masala. A curry powder, as found here in a tin, is therefore a European invention with Indian ingredients: the attempt to pack the taste of a country into a single spice.

Which spices are in curry?

The German Food Code has defined this in its guidelines for spices, most recently in the revised version of October 2025. Curry is a unique blend of turmeric, which usually also provides the color, with other spices such as fenugreek seeds, cumin, fennel, and coriander, as well as pepper, paprika, chili, ginger, cardamom, mace, cloves, or allspice, typically ground. Table salt may be added up to a maximum of 5 percent, and other substances like legume flour, starch, or dextrose up to 10 percent; depending on the recipe, the powder ranges from yellowish to brownish and tastes savory to spicy. The NDR lists turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds, and black pepper as classic components, with the optional addition of cloves, fennel, ginger, nutmeg mace, or cinnamon. Cumin and Kreuzkümmel are the same spice; mace is the seed covering of the nutmeg, which is called "Muskatblüte" (nutmeg flower) in the kitchen. How far a blend goes beyond that is decided by the house: The "Curry Anapurna" from the Altes Gewürzamt in Klingenberg am Main consists of fourteen ingredients: in addition to fenugreek, turmeric, cumin, and coriander, it also includes fennel, chili, garlic, ginger, mustard, black pepper, galangal, cardamom, mace, and cinnamon buds. At Cape Herb, the recipe for the Madras is indicated by numbers on the label: 28.5 percent turmeric, 10 percent each of chili and ginger, 8 percent cumin, and 5 percent sea salt. The "Madras Curry" from Pfeffersack und Soehne, a British-Indian blend, remains mild and relies on coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, Malabar pepper, yellow mustard, cardamom, chili, cloves, cinnamon buds, and bay leaf. Garam Masala is not a type of curry, but a distinct Indian blend of black pepper, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and cumin, which, according to the guidelines, can also contain cardamom, turmeric, fennel, or nutmeg; it is added to the dish only at the very end.

How is curry obtained?

It isn't—at least not from a plant. The individual spices are obtained, and each is a different part of a plant: turmeric is the briefly boiled and dried rhizome of a ginger plant, coriander is the dried round fruits, fenugreek and mustard are seeds, cloves are flower buds, cinnamon is bark, and chili is a fruit. This is how the guidelines define them, and they are dried, roasted, and ground in such different ways. Then the work that turns spices into a curry begins: those who take it seriously roast the whole seeds and grains before grinding them, because only heat awakens the oils, and then they blend according to a recipe they keep secret. The Altes Gewürzamt roasts, grinds, and blends its curries by hand; the Anapurna therefore has roasted aromas in its fragrance, the Kashmir is heavily roasted and dark, and the Jaipur is only briefly roasted and light. A benchmark is again provided in the Food Code: a spice blend consists exclusively of spices; as soon as salt, sugar, or flour are added in significant amounts, the product is called a "spice preparation" and must still contain at least 60 percent spices. Anyone who reads the list of ingredients can see what they are paying for.

What is the difference between turmeric and curry?

Turmeric is a spice; curry is the blend in which it provides the color. Turmeric, also known as yellow root, is the rhizome of Curcuma longa, a ginger plant, which is boiled, dried, and ground; it tastes earthy, slightly bitter, and stains everything it touches, from fingers to wooden spoons. Curry needs it as a base color, but the taste comes from the others: coriander provides the citrus-like sweetness, cumin the warm earthiness, fenugreek the slightly bitter note reminiscent of maple syrup, and chili and pepper the heat. Turmeric alone does not make a curry, just as flour alone does not make a loaf of bread. Conversely, there are curries that do without the yellow color: the "Purple Curry" from the Altes Gewürzamt gets its violet hue from dried hibiscus flowers, the "Curry Goa" is pungent with black pepper and a lot of chili, and the "Maharadja" contains no chili at all and features orange peel and vanilla. The same rule applies in the kitchen for all of them: sauté the curry briefly in hot fat before adding liquid, because the powder releases its aromas there, and do not sauté for too long, because turmeric and fenugreek become bitter if they burn. A mild curry like the "Mumbai" goes well with fish, vegetables, and mango crème; a hot one like the "Anapurna" pairs with lamb, tandoori, and lentil dal. And the "Currywurst" needs both: a powder for sprinkling and one in the sauce. A serving idea: sauté onion and ginger in clarified butter until soft, add two teaspoons of Curry Mumbai, stir for half a minute, then add coconut milk and cauliflower, simmer for twenty minutes, and season with salt, lime, and fresh coriander. Ground blends lose their oils faster than whole spices; kept tightly closed, dark, and dry, they retain their aroma, and your nose will tell you when a tin is past its prime.