The word “curry” is accused of racism

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Published 11 August 2021 at 08.10

Abroad. Is it racist to refer to the exotic spice blend curry with its established name? That debate is now raging among cooking bloggers, reports Sky News.

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It started with the influencer Chaheti Bansal, 27, raising the issue in a video on Instagram earlier this year.

In the clip, which has received 3.6 million views, called for Chaheti to his followers to “abolish the word curry”.

– There is a saying that food in India changes every ten miles, and yet we still use this umbrella term popularized by white people who did not care to learn the real names of our dishes, said the Third World profile, who lives in California, USA.

She is supported by Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, a professor of religious studies at the University of Vermont and an expert on South Asia.

According to Morgenstein Furest, the word curry does not exist in any South Asian language. Several historians believe that British officials during the colonial era misunderstood the Tamil word “kari”, which has different meanings depending on the region but can be translated as “starter”.

The professor claims that the British started using the word when they arrived in the region in the 1850s, and because of the power structures, the locals then took over the concept.

Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst believes that “curry” should not be used as an umbrella term because it is largely incorrect and “anchored in white, Christian power “.