Q 01/05

The English word 'curry' most likely comes from a word in which language family?

A) Indo-Aryan

B) Austronesian

C) Dravidian

D) Sino-Tibetan

Answer · why

C) Dravidian

The Tamil kaṟi meant a spiced mixture eaten with rice; it reached English via Portuguese caril or Dutch carrijl.

Q 02/05

Whose 1747 Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy had the first anglicised 'currey' recipe?

A) Hannah Glasse

B) Eliza Acton

C) Isabella Beeton

D) Elizabeth Raffald

Answer · why

A) Hannah Glasse

Her recipe for 'currey the India way' shows how Anglo-Indian cooking was already reaching British kitchens in the 18th century.

Q 03/05

Which key curry ingredient did NOT exist in India before the Columbian exchange?

A) Black pepper

B) Ginger root

C) Turmeric root

D) Chili peppers

Answer · why

D) Chili peppers

Portuguese traders brought chilies, tomatoes and potatoes to Goa after 1510; medieval proto-curries got their heat from black pepper alone.

Q 04/05

Which foul-smelling gum from the genus Ferula was a key spice in medieval Indian proto-curries?

A) Fenugreek

B) Asafoetida

C) Ajwain

D) Nigella

Answer · why

B) Asafoetida

Despite the smell, hīng adds a meaty flavour once fried in oil, and it is still used in dal today.

Q 05/05

Archaeologists at Mohenjo-daro found people grinding spices with mortar and pestle as early as when?

A) 800 BCE

B) 2600 BCE

C) 200 CE

D) 1000 CE

Answer · why

B) 2600 BCE

Starch-grain analysis of skeletons and pottery found turmeric and ginger, the residue of what have been called 'proto-curries'.