Food bloggers are trying to cancel the word ‘curry’.
They believe the term should no longer be used due to its links to British colonialism.
It all started when food blogger Chaheti Bansal called on her followers to stop using the “umbrella term”.
In April, Bansal shared a video recipe where she urged people to “cancel the word curry”. Her call has since gone viral.
While there are many different explanations for where the word curry came from, the most popular is that it was invented by the British who misheard the Tamil word 'Kari, which means “sauce”.
Its first use dates back to the mid-18th century when members of the British East India Trading Company were trading with Tamil merchants in Southeast India.
According to Bansal and other food bloggers, curry is often used to lump very distinct foods from different regions together.
She said it wasn’t really about “cancelling” the word, but educating people about where it comes from, what it really means, and alternative language.
“I’m not even going to bother with the recipe in this voiceover as I have more important things to discuss like cancelling the word ‘curry’,” she said in the post, accompanying a video of her cooking.
“Okay, not in all cultures – but especially in Indian cuisine because I don’t understand what that word means,” she added.
“As there is a saying that food in India changes every 100km and yet we still use this umbrella term popularised by white people who couldn’t bother to learn the real names of our dishes – but we can always unlearn.”
Instagram food influencer Nisha Vedi Pawar also shared a similar sentiment in one of her online videos asking: “What the hell is curry?”
This left many social media users angry.
“Does anyone think of colonialism when ordering curry? Let us not forget, we are not the only colonial power,” said one Twitter user.
“That’s like cancelling people for saying pasta instead of linguine,” wrote another.
British newsreader Simon McCoy from GB News also weighed in: “What is it about people in California? It’s a curry! Indian people call them curries ... it is ridiculous,” he said.
But many have also backed Bansal, saying they too want the word would be phased out.
“Y’all can learn every pasta shape but won't you learn the difference between dals,” wrote one Twitter user.
“OMG, sick of repeating myself to people who call everything Indian food curry,” wrote a fan on Instagram.