On the Curry Trail

Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World

By Raghavan Iyer

Award-winning author and instructor Raghavan Iyer explores the origin of curry across the globe with 50 recipes in this illustrated cookbook about the simmering, scrumptious history and lore of a globally beloved dish.

On the Curry Trail is an enlightening journey across Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas to explore the origins of curry and the signature, essential curries of each region. This diaspora of curry brings alive not only the most iconic, category-defining recipes from these continents, but also the history, lore, anecdotes, and familial remembrances that fashion each dish. It delves into the story of curry—what it was and what it is, the places to which it has traveled and the ways it has evolved en route (whether because of local ingredients, cultural tastes, or other factors)—and embraces the many interpretations and definitions of this beloved dish. It makes the flavors of these scintillating curries accessible to the everyday home cook. On the Curry Trail is at once a mash note and an education—one rich in history and sense of place—that tells the definitive, delectable story of this beguiling dish in 50 irresistible recipes. Illustrations throughout.

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Raghavan Iyer

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Review quotes

"A thoughtful work showcasing the diaspora of a dynamic flavor... Recommended for readers who want not only to make curry from a variety of cultures but also to understand the scope of this far-reaching fare."

— Library Journal

“Raghavan Iyer’s love letter to the world’s most beloved comfort food reveals a simple recipe for universal happiness: Explore together the many culinary cultures of curry, savor the differences, then share the love at the dinner table.”

— Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club

“This charming, informative book is an invitation to explore the curry diaspora in all its amazing variety. Recipes, stories, and generous background information, together with lively illustrations, come together to give a picture of the way curry – in the form of sauced dishes flavored with an array of spices – has taken root in the cooking traditions of many parts of the world, from Guyana, England, and Japan to South Africa, Portugal, and Malaysia.”

— Naomi Duguid, author of The Miracle of Salt and Taste of Persia

“Raghavan Iyer remains the most lucid, wittiest, and best-informed writer about Indian cooking we have. On the Curry Trail is engrossing at every level.”

— Scott Turow, author of Presumed Innocent and Suspect

“I love the way Raghavan Iyer 'peppers’ On the Curry Trail with lively anecdotes and delicious tidbits. His unique voice animates the story of spice in a fresh new way. Everyone will be richer for reading this book!”

— Maya Kaimal, cookbook author and food entrepreneur

“One paragraph of On the Curry Trail and I was stepping into a saga — a grand, complex, and fascinating saga of a dish that began 6,000 years ago in India. Yet now curry’s the chameleon dish, welcomed from Copenhagen to San Francisco, and Paris to Hong Kong. Yes, this book is going into the kitchen — the recipes match the stories. Raghavan Iyer is one of those rare consummate cooks, researchers, and storytellers. Curry is his passion. It shows on the page and on the plate.”

— Lynne Rossetto Kasper, author, lecturer, and broadcaster