So, what is a curry exactly......?
A curry is basically any type of meat or vegetable cooked in a spicy sauce. However, to use the word ‘basically’ in a sentence with ‘curry’ is a little misleading when you consider the huge variety of curries available.
Traditionally from Indian, Bangladesh and their neighbouring countries, curry is now so popular in Britain, it’s become our national dish! Our favourite is tikka masala – meat or vegetable cooked in tomato, cream and yoghurt with lots of turmeric and cumin – with 23 million portions served up ever year in Indian restaurants around the country.
Vegetarian curries
Indian cuisine has a history of vegetarianism that goes back thousands of years. Hindu, Buddhist and Jain beliefs encourage the consumption of food obtained through non-violent means – this of course, rules out meat.
Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, it’s often worth choosing a veggie dish in Indian restaurants as the recipe may be 2,000 years in the making. There are over 8,000 Indian restaurants in Britain (half of which you’ll find in London alone), and while most also offer meat dishes, the strong tradition of preparing vegetarian meals means you’ll always find loads of delicious non-meat dishes on offer.
• tandoori.co.uk lists over 1,000 Indian restaurants in Britain and has a great search facility that lets you search using a map, postcode, town or restaurant name.
• findmyindian.co.uk also offers a comprehensive guide and search facility for Indian restaurants and takeaways in Britain.