The curry conquest: A global journey of cultural significance, creativity

Whether used as a racist slur or celebrated as a global staple, curry's journey exemplifies its cultural significance -shared history and culinary creativity

“Stinks of curry,” “smells like curry,” and “curry smell” — these phrases have been wielded as shallow insults by British-American influencer Andrew Tate, Donald Trump ally Laura Loomer, Chinese social media users, and countless others. To them, “curry” serves as a pejorative term to denigrate people of Indian origin. But steering away from counter-vitriol, this column focuses on a more enduring aspect: The global journey of curry, from its origins in India to its status as a beloved cuisine worldwide.

 

The term “Indian curry” is an oversimplification of a diverse cuisine: There is no one “curry”, and no singular spice