In South Indian cooking, curry leaves play a pivotal role, lending their distinctive flavour and scent to a wide variety of meals. The wonderful role that curry leaves play in improving the flavour profiles of various recipes is highlighted by South Indian culinary traditions. These aromatic leaves are are frequently used to add a unique earthy and citrusy flavour to rice, chutney, and curry recipes. Curry leaves are used to enhance the flavour of South Indian cuisine, but they also have many positive health effects and contribute to general well-being. Let's take a tasteful trip through the colourful tapestry of South Indian food, where curry leaves play a crucial role in weaving together the magic of the kitchen.
When it comes to Indian food and medicine, curry leaves are a must-have. As part of the initial step in preparing Indian food, they are typically cooked with vegetable oil, mustard seeds, and chopped onions. Curry leaves are a staple in South Indian cooking and are often used in Sri Lankan, Malaysian, Singaporean, and Burmese dishes as well. You'll find curry leaves in a wide variety of recipes, including stews, the South Indian soups rasam and sambar, lentil meals, chutney, and even the world-famous appetiser samosas.
The curry plant has many local names across India due to its widespread distribution. Meetha Neem, or Kari Patta in Hindi, is the name for this plant. Bengali and Oriya call it Barsunga; Tamil speakers call it Karuveppilai; Marathis call it Karipat; Punjabi speakers call it Bowala; and so on. Though the aromatic leaves of the curry plant are grown for their culinary and decorative value in some areas.
A recent video posted by author of the book, Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking, Krish Ashok talks about the origin of the botanical name of curry leaves. He says, “one ingredient that makes South Indian food from all the states here taste unique is undoubtedly the Curry leaf. Johan Andreas Murray was a Swedish doctor of German ancestry, and he was a pioneering pharmacologist who wrote a six-volume compendium of herbal remedies. And Johann Gerhard Keonig was a German botanist who traveled to India as part of the Tranquebar Mission. In 1706, which incidentally first printed the Bible in Tamil, Dr. Keonig later joined the service of the Nawabs of Arcot.
The Nawabs themselves were descendants of Turkish mercenaries who were invited by Sundara Pandayan IV, who was dealing with a civil war in the 13th century as the Nawabs lost territory to the British, Dr. Keonig eventually became a naturalist with the British East India Company working in Madras, and he traveled all over South India documenting local plants. One of the things he wrote about was the use of wing termites as food in South India. These, by the way, are the annoying, clueless flies that arrive during the rainy season. They're often collected, roasted and tempered with sesame oil, garlic and curry leaves. So what's the connection here? The botanical name of the Curry leaf comes from these two Johans, Murraya Koenigii.
He captions, “If you ask any person from South India what their favourite garnish is, it is quite likely to be deep fried crisp curry leaves. The flavour profile of this leaf is irreplaceable, a fact that south Indian NRIs regularly cry about as they pay 5 USD for a sad looking bunch in a tiny ziploc bag. The fresh leaf has both a citrusy zing and a mild sulphurous note (from 1-phenylethanethiol) that lends dishes that have a lot of curry leaves a savoury and meaty flavour.
But culinary facts apart, the story behind its botanical name is far more interesting - spanning 2 Johanns, a Danish proselytising mission, Turkic mercenaries, a Pandyan accession crisis, the Nawabs of Arcot and the utterly delicious fried winged termines with garlic, chilli, salt and curry leaves.
PS: When you hear history stories in 90 seconds, it’s tempting to assume that these connections are all there is to the story. History is always more complicated. Don’t waste your time being outraged by what I chose to leave out. Treat reels as appetisers that get you interesting in reading more about the individual elements of the story”
Curry Leaf Health Benefits:
Digestive Health: Curry leaves improve digestion and protect against digestive disorders including constipation and indigestion by promoting the release of digestive enzymes.
Antioxidant Properties: These leaves are an excellent source of antioxidants, which defend cells from free radicals. Curry leaves' antioxidants are beneficial to health and may lower the chance of developing chronic diseases.
Diabetes Management: In Ayurvedic medicine, curry leaves have long been used for diabetes management. As a result, they may aid in glucose control by increasing insulin sensitivity and decreasing insulin resistance.
Anti-inflammatory Effects: Curcumin and other active components in curry leaves have anti-inflammatory effects, making them useful for treating inflammation and its associated pain and discomfort.
Heart Health: The antioxidant properties of curry leaves and their ability to reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol make them a healthy addition to any diet.