Sunday Times 2
Why Indian food is so delicious
With their intoxicating spices and complex flavours, Indian curries are enjoyed the world over.
Now, in a study of more than 2,000 recipes, scientists have discovered the secret behind curry’s popularity on a molecular level. They claim that unlike Western dishes that tend to pair similar flavours together – such as beer and beef – Indian dishes use at least seven ingredients that do not contain overlapping flavours. ‘We found that average flavour sharing in Indian cuisine was significantly lesser than expected,’ researchers wrote. The study found that ingredients such as garam masala and bell peppers are usually teamed up with other ingredients that have no chemical similarity.
This is in contrast to Western dishes that share like flavours. Chefs, for instance claim that seemingly incongruous ingredients, such as chocolate and blue cheese, can taste good together because they share similar compounds.
In Indian dishes, the more overlap two ingredients have in flavour, the less likely they are to appear in the same Indian dish, the scientists said.
Researchers believe this makes the dish more tasty as the ingredients each bring their own unique flavour to the dish, rather than simply blending in.
Out of the 381 cooking ingredients in the world, the research team found that Indian food uses 200 in their cuisine.
Previous research has found curry could actually be good for you, easing arthritis and even protecting people from Alzheimer’s. Most curries contain turmeric, cumin, allspice, cardamon, ginger, garlic and capsicum – spices with strong anti-bacterial properties.
© Daily Mail, London