Whether you have been enjoying curries for years and you just want to know a little more about this tongue tingling, delicious food, or you have never tried it but are very curious, you'll find that there are a number of fascinating curry facts that you might be interested in.

Checking out the UK

When we thinking about curry, we usually think of places like India, Vietnam and Pakistan, but at this point, we should certainly add the UK! Curry has become very much a part of UK cuisine, to the point where there are varieties that are unique to the place. Roughly 3.5 million curries are served in the UK every week.

Biggest and the best

The largest curry was cooked in Lichfield in 2000, and it weighed more than three tons and managed to feed around 7,500 people. Of course, it wasn't served with the world's largest piece of naan bread, which was twenty six inches long and twenty three inches wide.

What's in a name?

Curry is an English word that encompasses many different kinds of food. In English, it can refer to nearly any spiced and sauce based that contains curry powder. The term "kari" comes from Classical Tamil and essentially refers to vegetables in a sauce

Ingredients

When cooking curries, the spice mixes are typically known as "masala." These spice mixes will vary widely from cook to cook, though today, it is much more common, especially in urban areas, to purchase your masala packets from the store. A masala is most frequently made up of dry roasted spices, though it can also be a paste.

Currywurst

In Germany, one of the more interesting ways to enjoy curry is with currywurst, which is a pork sausage that has been cut up into slices and then dressed with curry sauce. The curry sauce in Germany often contains ketchup or tomato paste.

Curry addiction?

There have been several studies that state that when we react to the release of endorphins due to the spicy ingredients in curry, as well as the sensory experience regarding the flavors and spices can lead to wanting more curry. Most curry lovers could have told you this one!

Drinks anyone?

When you are thinking about what to drink with your curry, consider lassi, which is a drink made using yogurt and sugar or salt. This can help calm the spiciness of the curry. Some people also state that tea is the best beverage to consume.

Tamil Curries

Tamil curries are known around the world for their flavorful preparation, and the spices that go into their curry can include curry leaves, coriander, garlic, chili pepper, poppy seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel and anise seeds.

Thai Curries

Similarly famous around the world are Thai curries, which tend to use ingredients local to Thailand. Some components in Thai curries include lemon grass, Galangal, coconut milk and chili peppers. These curries are quite aromatic and are described by color, where red curries use red chilis, green curries use green chilis, and yellow chilis use tumeric and cumin.

Appetizers

So what should you eat before you tuck into your curry? One great appetizer for curry is poori, which is a deep fried flat bread, while kebabs are minced meat and spice patties. If you want something a bit richer, consider samosas, which are deep-fried pastries stuffed with potatoes, meats and spices.