Spices Stories

Cookbook examines how curry is a cultural force as well as a tasty recipe ingredient

- Bruce Dennill

Curry as cuisine is often thought of as specifically Indian, but as you explain in the book, in which you examine its place in South African culture, this is patently not the case. You used to be able to map the regions people had found themselves in by the food that was eaten there. In the last 25 years, that’s less accurate, as there’s been much more freedom of movement. 

In the history of South Africa, there have been indentured workers and free traders from different parts of India, as well as Indonesia and beyond. I am a fifth-generation South African, and I have the records of my ancestors getting on the ship in Madras – the English were meticulous with their records. 

Curry is most celebrated for its Indian roots, as that’s the subject about most of the text around it, but it’s also important in many Asian countries, including Vietnam, Japan and Korea. Its origins are interesting. ‘Curry’ wasn’t a word initially understood in India. There are different sources – including Portugal – and as the Raj was collapsing, the English took Indian spices back to England as aphrodisiacs and for other reasons. After some time, many of those spices made their way into new dishes, before being taken back to India, which is where the rest of the world became aware of it.