All of the Asian dishes that have made their way to the West are more than mere dishes. They tell a tale of colonialism and the spice trade, among other things.
Originating in South Asia, curry has made it across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. British colonial officers in India brought back adapted versions of curry to the U.K., where it soon came to be comfort food.
Meanwhile, laborers from India brought curry to Trinidad, Mauritius, and Fiji. In the Caribbean, curry took on a distinct identity using local ingredients like goat, Scotch bonnet peppers, and allspice. In Southeast Asia, curry absorbed regional herbs like lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime, eventually evolving into Thai red, green, and massaman variants.
