25 Types Of Curry, Explained

Creamy, savory, aromatic, and simply mouthwatering, curry is one of the world's most beloved sauces. According to Britannica, it's believed that curry originated in India. Years of European colonialism had the unintended effect of helping it become an international staple. Contrary to popular belief, curry isn't actually an Indian word and represents many types of dishes. The word itself is a possible derivative of kari, which comes from India's Tamil language and means "sauce." It's believed that British attempts at pronouncing the word resulted in curry. 

Britain and beyond, the spice's alluring aromatics have cast a global spell, spreading and evolving over the years. Today, an almost endless variety of curries exist. From the shrimp paste-infused umami of Thai curries to lesser-known fiery Middle Eastern types, the appeal of curry is boundless. It's even made its way up to Germany. Raise your hand if you're a currywurst fan!

Due to curry's expansive reach, it'll take a literal lifetime to taste every kind. Some types are still only available regionally, carrying nuances foreign tongues have yet to experience. Whether your nickname is Captain Curry or you're a person with a picky palate, we believe there's a style for you. To introduce the curry-curious, and to further inspire adventurous eaters, below is a list of popular types from around the world. The list in no way encompasses every curry, but it's a great kickstart.

Another popular curry style is saag. It hails from India's Punjab region and blends mustard leaves and spices. The characteristic green color commonly comes topped with a slice of fresh butter or ghee and enjoyed with rice, roti, or naan bread. Like korma, saag is a globally beloved curry flavor and can be found on most Indian restaurant menus.

Along with mustard greens, saag is mixed with spinach, which helps balance the bitter taste. Once cooked and mashed into a paste, the leafy combo is slow-cooked with ghee, onions, ginger garlic paste, and corn flour. If you haven't experienced this tasty curry, we definitely saag-gest you give it a try.

Rounding out some of India's most popular curries, locally and globally, is vindaloo. Piquant, velvety, and rich vindaloo's robust flavor will certainly put your tongue to the test. According to the South China Morning Post, this special curry actually originates in Goa via Portuguese colonizers. 

Per reporting, the locals were inspired by a dish called 'carne de vinho e alhos.' Apparently, the Goan attempt at pronouncing the Portuguese "vinho e albos" sounded more like "vindaloo." It was created by substituting several ingredients — wine in place of vinegar, chicken rather than pork, and red Kashmiri chilies and spices. Like other curries, vindaloo pairs well with your protein preference, and potatoes are popular too. Fresh peppers, in particular, will take chicken vindaloo to the next level.

Thailand is known for several popular curries; one piquant variety is the aptly-named red curry. The curry paste is made using lemongrass, ginger, garlic, galangal, shallots, coriander root, and an aromatic mixture of spices like cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. The reddish color comes from loads of chili peppers, which gives it a standout bang. 

Unlike Indian varieties that use yogurt, Thai red curry is typically blended with coconut milk to give it a broth-like consistency that goes great with your choice of protein, potatoes, vegetables, and even peanuts. Take it from us; you should add this Thai red curry chicken recipe to your "Must Try" list immediately! 

Rounding out Thailand's trifecta of color-specific curries is yellow curry. Although it shares many of the same ingredients, yellow curry is milder than its red and green siblings. Usually, the creamiest curry of the trio, the addition of turmeric root (or powder) gives a distinctive yellow shade. Its full-bodied flavor also has a touch of sweetness from coconut milk and sometimes the addition of sugar.

Chicken or beef are great canvases for yellow curry's savory paint. Other go-to ingredients are carrots, onions, and potatoes — starchy veggies are excellent too. As one of the more popular Thai curries, it's widely available at Thai restaurants around the world.

One of the more complex curries coming out of Thailand is Massaman. More commonly associated with the country's Muslim community, the stacked ingredient list of Massaman is actually inspired by Indian curries, which typically use more than Thai varieties. Yellow or orange in color and milder in taste, rather than the spicy kick of chili peppers, massaman is fragrant, sweet, and softer on the palate. 

That makes it an excellent curry coat for chicken, beef, lamb, mutton, or goat. Like panang, roasted peanuts are popular garnishes. Although this massaman curry recipe takes a tad longer than other curries, its savory spell is worth falling under.

This next curry might just test your faith. The piquant name alone will either pique your interest or make you take a peek for the nearest exit. Devil curry originates from Malaysia and contains the country's own unique blend of ingredients like vinegar, tomato paste, and Dijon mustard ... Along with mustard, black pepper, and loads of red and green chilis are combined to bring some serious heat. 

Devil curry's spicy tang tastes awesome on chopped chicken, rice, bread, and more. In Malaysia, it is traditionally served as a dish on Christmas with leftovers. That gives you an opportunity to throw a culinary curveball next holiday season.

Joining Southeast Asia's curry collective is Laos, and one of the country's most popular traditional dishes: mok pa. Otherwise known as Lao steamed fish, the origins of this special curry are scant and otherwise murky, but one could compare it to Cambodia's amok curry. Both are fish-based dishes that are wrapped and served in banana leaves. Unlike their Cambodian neighbors, Laotians don't use coconut milk.

The flavor profile is further differentiated with the addition of padek (a local fish sauce), dill, and basil. Next, the fish is cooked until it's juicy, tender, and perfect for dolloping over sticky rice. It can be enjoyed non-spicy or with an extra kick.

For our purposes, Vietnam rounds out Southeast Asia's distinctive curry styles. Curry as a dish was introduced to the country by Indian migrants. Infusing the local cuisine would inspire the creation of Vietnam's very own curry dishes. One popular comfort staple is cà ri gà — cà ri meaning curry, and gà standing for chicken. 

Cà ri gà is a yellow-colored curry made with lemongrass, chopped onions, potato and sweet potato, and chicken. It's blended with coconut milk and, interestingly enough, thanks to French colonization, is traditionally served with a baguette. If you're into sweet curries, a fun substitute for potatoes is the earthy-sweet taro root, a similarly starchy root vegetable.

A lesser-known curry from Japan that packs an explosive amount of umami might turn you away at first sight. Black curry, also known as kuro curry, subverts everything we've come to expect of the savory sauce. Mainstay ingredients like turmeric and chilis are replaced with unique ones like norikuro (black seaweed paste), or squid ink, and sometimes even chocolate — that's where it gets its distinctive midnight color. 

Kuro curry is most popular in Japan's Northwestern region, though unfortunately, you'll be hard-pressed to find many restaurants that offer the silken, buttery, and dark mix outside of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Unsurprisingly, curry found a home in the fiery temperatures of the Middle East as well. One traditional Pakistani dish, in particular, is known as a type called nihari curry, which is a customary dish everyone should try at least once. According to The Times of India, the word itself is derived from the Arabic root word nahaar, or "day," and fittingly describes when it's most commonly consumed. 

Traditionally slow-cooked overnight with beef shanks; nihari curry is a complex recipe that can include up to 50 ingredients. Even today, as master time-savers, the quickest nihari recipe you'll find will still require over three hours of your time. Fortunately, it's a pretty common menu item at most Middle Eastern restaurants.

We hate to admit it, but if it weren't for British colonialism, there's no telling how or if curry might have found its way to the small island of Jamaica. Today, curry is one of the country's most popular spices and is served with every meat available. Curry goat is an especially popular Jamaican dish you should order when you see it.

The goat is slow-cooked in a yellow-colored curry until tender and aromatic. Curried proteins are usually accompanied by rice, stewed cabbage or greens, plantains, and sweet Jamaican coco bread. This Caribbean-style curry is sold at all Jamaican restaurants and in ready-made form at grocery stores.

Not only does this unique curry from Guyana has a cool name, but it also offers more variety in a single dish than all others on this list. That's because it's not just named seven curry; it's a dish that's actually composed of seven different vegetarian curries. Intended to be hand eaten, seven curry includes pumpkin, bagee (spinach), catahar, potato/channa (chickpeas), balange (eggplant), eddoe (which is closely related to taro), and dal. 

It's normal for locals to substitute certain ingredients in their seven curry for similar foods too. It's traditionally served on a large water-lily leaf and topped with mango/tamarind achar (pickle) and pepper sauce. With seven curry flavors to enjoy, you're bound to find a new fav.