Curry - A Very British Word
When Britain's first major cookbook "The Forme of Cury" appeared in the 1390s 'cury' was the accepted word for a cooked dish coming from the French 'cuire', so by the time English merchants sampled their first spicy dishes in the sub-continent, the word had been in general use for over 200 years.
The word was very similar to local words such as 'kari' and 'karahi' so the dishes became known as curry and the curryfication of the world had begun.
Curryfication - Definition: to impress on others the importance, enjoyment and benefits of curry.
In the last 400 years curry has not only become Britain’s 'national dish' but spread to America, Caribbean, South Africa, Europe, Australia, Japan and throughout Asia. In Japan curry is one of their favourite dishes and Germany even has a museum for their famous currywurst.
15th National Curry Week (8-14 October) will celebrate this amazing phenomenon in restaurants, pubs, canteens and at home whilst helping to raise much needed funds to combat malnutrition and poverty.
With over 23 million Brits enjoying curry on a regular basis each year, organiser Peter Grove is very anxious to reach them all with the curry message.
With powerful brands such as Patak's, Asda, Fox's Spices, and Hungryhouse, National Curry Week is reaching more and more and the inclusion of Lion beer from Sri Lanka has helped to include the 'Curry Night' pub sector.
Hertfordshire County Council are so sold on the idea that they are organising a week long project for their 50,000 students giving each of their 40 schools a theme kit to decorate their dining room. Included in this will be a Curry Quiz which is becoming all the rage for home parties and restaurant gatherings.
If you want to keep up to date with events and happenings during National Curry Week visit www.nationalcurryweek.co.uk.
Last year the event 'trended' on Twitter led by pop star Bruno Mars - so this year every curry fan should tweet to #supportcurry to do it again.