Curry is hot, in more ways than one.
It is the new blackened redfish, the new lobster taco and the new Chilean sea bass with ponzu sauce. It’s hip and it’s here. For proof, take a peek into any supermarket.
The age-old jar of yellow curry powder has been joined by packets and bottles of Thai and Indian curry pastes in green, red and yellow hues. Brands such as Taste of Thai, Thai Kitchen and Patak’s have made curry seasonings as available as ketchup, and Americans are gobbling them up.
“Our curry pastes are doing really well,” said Ernest Wong, marketing manager of Epicurean International in California.
No kidding. Since 1990, the company’s Thai Kitchen curry paste business has gone from a door-to-door, car-trunk operation to a mainstream brand available at supermarkets in 50 states, Canada and Europe.
Sales of curry seasonings have been especially brisk in the last five years, Wong said.
The curry boom is an outgrowth of our national fascination with ethnic foods and bold flavors.
“We have quite a few American customers here,” said Mehar Khan, who sells an extensive line of Indian curry powders and pastes, along with other Indian foods, at the Spice Corner in Akron, Ohio. “Some of them know already how to make curry. Some of them who are just starting out come and ask lots of questions.”
Although Curry may be new to U.S. palates, its origins are ancient. Recipes of meat in a spicy sauce have been discovered on Mesopotamian tablets dating to 1700 B.C.
Curry is the national dish of India, where it is thought to have originated. The mixture of vegetables and usually meat or seafood in sauce is a cross between a stir-fry and a stew. The complex sauce is infused with blended herbs and spices that can range from merely flavorful to tongue-tingling hot.
If you think pizza is ubiquitous, you should visit Southeast Asia, where curry rules. It is a popular dish not only in India but also in Thailand, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
The spices and other ingredients vary from country to country and even city to city. Some ingredients and techniques cut across national boundaries, though. The spices are almost always cooked in oil to release their fragrance and flavor, and most curry sauces include pureed onions, garlic and ginger.
Curry can be found in far-flung places such as Africa and Japan. In Japan, it is challenging ramen noodles as the most popular dish, and in Great Britain it already has achieved that distinction. Brits spend an estimated 3.5 billion pounds (about $6.3 billion) a year on curry, according to the British Broadcasting Co.
Will curry eventually dominate American cuisine too?
It’s too soon to tell, but early signs point to at least a permanent place on the menu.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Victoria Rodriguez (vrodriguez@tribune.com)
