Background on Curry

Here is a condensed version of my treatise on curry:

Cliff and I LOVE Indian food. It's one of my favorite things in the world! I love the unusual and unique combinations of spices and flavors and garlic naan pretty much equals heaven on earth in my book. Having said that - I get really frustrated when my friends tell me that they don't like Indian cooking because they don't like curry. This is like saying.... you don't like sauce. What kind of sauce? Marinara sauce? Cheese sauce, Barbecue? Alfredo sauce or Mexican Mole? Saying that you don't like sauce can be pretty vague. Curries work the same way. A lot of people think of yellow curry powder when they think of Indian curries and this preconceived notion doesn't even scratch the tip of the iceberg! At the risk of sounding rather lecture -y I want to give you a little background info on curries and the infamous yellow curry powder and hopefully encourage some of you that have been hesitant to try Indian cuisine to get out there and DO IT! :)
The term curry comes from the Tamil (southern India) word "Kari" and means "spiced stew." The term is now broadly used to refer to any spiced sauce. The yellow curry that most of us are familiar with is actually an approximation of Indian spices brought back from India by the British (they wanted to bring a little flavor back home from the colony) that relies heavily on turmeric. There is no "curry powder" in India as each region has their own mix/blend of spices. Some of these different curries are: Vindaloo, Korma, Dopiazza, Madras, Jalfrezi, Dhansak, etc. Some of these are very spicy and others like kormas are generally mild. They can be slightly sweet, very very hot, or even a little tangy! There are also different curries all over southeast Asia in places like Thailand and Japan and even in the Caribbean! Ok - I'll stop there because I'm sure you get the idea. I don't want you guys to read this entry, decide I'm a bore, and never return! I would just like to share my love of this country's food with anyone and everyone. I just want to stress that if you have tried a curry in the past that wasn't to your taste or fancy - give it another try! I firmly believe that there is a curry for everyone :)