The post title was changed to drop the "surprising". Not sure why?
The roots of Japan's Indian curry
91–100 of 168 posts
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
I assure you, if you ask for chicken curry in any restaurant in Hyderabad, they'll know exactly what you mean. They might not necessarily serve it though.
Of course they know it. They don’t exist in a vacuum. That doesn’t mean the dish is “curry”. Just like how many Indians will call it Butter Chicken Curry colloquially but the dish is Murgh Makhani.
> That doesn’t mean the dish is “curry”.
Is this supposed to be some metaphysical argument? The dish is literally chicken curry i.e. kodi kura.
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#93"Now to be clear, India has no such dish as a curry. No self-respecting Indian restaurant has a "curry" on their menu. They would have a Palak Paneer or a Malai Kofta or a Murgh Makhani - all of which we lump into "curry" - but no "curry" - This is patently wrong. Curry is a South Indian word referring to vegetables originally (Malakkarry means vegetables). Come to Kerala - you have Moru Curry (Butter Milk Curry) , E…
> Curry is a South Indian word referring to vegetables originally Not exclusively to vegetables. It originally comes from 'kari', meaning 'blackened' or 'burnt', and referred to cooked vegetables and meat. 1. https://www.etymonline.com/word/curry#etymonline_v_491
That etymology might actually be wrong. The kari for blackened, burnt, etc comes from കരി where the r sound is a dental flap type r sound, while the kari for curry comes from കറി where the r sound is the typical r sound. So it's more likely the etymology is from malakkarry, which means vegetables, meaning than kari from the blackened, burnt, etc meaning.
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#94The bit about ubiquitous Nepali-owned restaurants makes me nostalgic for living in Japan. They may not be authentic but they are great for lunch. Typically, at lunchtime, 2 small curries, naan, salad and a soft drink bar is ¥800-¥1000. And it’s served instantly.
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Also, most Indian Restaurants in India, if not owned, are pretty much run (cooks, etc.) by Nepalese. Really? There must be some odd social dynamics behind that because it sounds so implausible going from demographics alone.
Immigration. India is a bigger economy than Nepal and Nepalese come there to do work like this.
Also, restaurants are competitive, wages are low, and barrier to entry is low (no required credentials), so they naturally lean more immigrant heavy.
In the US a lot of professionals end up taking menial jobs because their credentials do not transfer to the US.
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#96> So if you are craving for spice in Japan, try one of the two thousand "Indian" restaurants and you will not be disappointed. Erm, if you've had a proper curry recently then you probably will be. Like everywhere else, foreign foods get tailored to their locality or they die. If you fancy a naan filled with sugar and some pretty bland dishes then try an "Indian" restaurant in Japan. Which should come as no surprise,…
> spicy foods here are a) not spicy Ha. Can confirm. Lived there 2 years and while I love the food, as far as I can tell there is no food available anywhere in Japan, at all, that the average south east asian would recognise as even mildly spicy. And outside the home islands I have observed Japanese people reacting hilariously to the actually spicy local food. My favourite was a co-worker who literally collapsed to t…
> Love the people, love the country, but Golden Curry's bright warning red "EXTRA HOT" is not bloody hot at all.
I chuckled at the basis of your comparison being a globally commercialized instant product.
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very many dishes in nearly every cuisine have at least some foreign origins. The majority of spices and seasonings used in most countries originate from many places all over the world. The idea of any pure culture (locally, ethnically, linguistically, or culinarily) is a complete myth, unless that culture has been entirely isolated from every other culture for its entire development.
A lot of Indian dishes have Persian, Mughal influences.
And it goes way beyond Persian influence.
vindaloo ~= Portuguese vinhalo (wine/vinegar flavored)
Southeast asian ingredients introduced via trading empires based in South India (i.e. nutmeg).
Tomatoes, chilies, potatoes, all pre-Columbian American products introduced to India by the Portuguese.
Tea (from China by way of the British)
Coffee (introduced even earlier than tea via the Arab trading networks via Yemen during the Ottoman empire).
Some things are actually bidirectional. Biryani, the Mughal/Persian rice dish emerged after rice was introduced to the middle east in ancient times, probably via India, and it came back in the form of Biryani.
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#98Why are Indians getting taught about Indian food?
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
India was colonized. Whether they specifically colonized an area or not is irrelevant. Indian regions don’t exist in isolation. Kari in telugu is not the same as curry. The colloquial use of it as such is an artifact of British rule. You dont exist in a bubble. Kura is not the same as a generic curry. Not all things that are considered a “curry” are Kura or Kari
> Indian regions don’t exist in isolation. Hyderabad existed as a politically and culturally separate entity. The ramifications of these historical distinctions play out in politics to this day. See Telangana statehood for an example. > Kari in telugu You keep bringing it up but to the best of my knowledge there's no kari in Telugu. > The colloquial use of it as such is an artifact of British rule. Do you have a sour…
> Hyderabad existed as a politically and culturally separate entity
The only culturally separate population I know of on earth anymore are the Sentinelese on the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Hyderabad's name itself is Arabic+Persian, and compared to India overall, far more people speak English there. It was a regional capital of South Asia. Cosmopolitan places like that are always cultural crossroads. Practically everyone/everyplace is a mutt, culturally and biologically, the world over, except perhaps the Sentinelese.
Re: The roots of Japan's Indian curry
#100Tempura also has foreign origins: > Tempura (天ぷら or 天麩羅, tenpura, [tempɯɾa]) is a typical Japanese dish usually consisting of seafood, meat and vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. The dish was introduced by the Portuguese in Nagasaki through fritter-cooking techniques in the 16th century. The word tempura comes from the Latin word tempora, a term referring to times of fasting when the church dictated t…
A lot of Japanese dishes that are popular today have foreign origins. Tempura, curry, ramen, and salmon for sushi. It’s why I find it hilarious when some people obsess over the authenticity of Japanese food and deride fusion cuisine. It (much like most great cuisines) is the result of intermixing and interpretations of dishes. Many Indian dishes too wouldn’t have existed without foreign interaction. Potato dishes obv…
Potato, tomato, chili. https://contingentmagazine.org/2020/06/25/curry-before-colum...