Related languages can be very deceptive, especially German and English, since they have an enormous amount of cognates. People think that the German language may be easy to learn as a native English speaker because at first glance, so many words appear to be almost identical in both languages, such as “hand”, “arm”, “finger”, “house”, and “gesundheit”. The real problem occurs though when words sound the same but have different meanings in their respective languages, and this is exacerbated when the words are even spelled the same way in both instances, as in our culprit here: curry.
In America, curry indicates a dish of Asian persuasion, which is divisive in that its consumer will either love it or hate it, because it will be very flavorful and quite likely very spicy. In Germany, curry indicates that the dish will be yellow.
Our cultures’ adoption of curry into our cuisines parallels our socio-economic values. In America, we unabashedly use curry to split ourselves into those who revel in its flavor and those who suffer under its spiciness. Love it or leave it.
In Germany, there are no curry winners and losers, since curry is just a tool to make bland food remain bland but take on a hint of yellow and seem somehow exotic. No one is really going to enjoy the fruits of spicy excessiveness, and as a trade-off no one is really going to get left behind. No one really wins, but no one really loses. Just how the Germans like it.
deutsche Übersetzung für Astrid ein/ausblenden
Astrid, Hi, Na?
Hier die Übersetzung:
Unkorrekte Kumpels - Curry/curry
Verwandte Sprachen können sehr trügerisch sein, insbesondere Deutsch und Englisch, da sie eine enorme Anzahl von verwandten Wörtern haben. Die Menschen denken, es sei leicht für einen englischen Muttersprachler, die deutsche Sprache zu lernen, weil auf den ersten Blick so viele Wörter beinahe identisch erscheinen, wie zum Beispiel “hand”, “arm”, “finger”, “house” und “gesundheit”. Das eigentliche Problem entsteht, wenn sich Wörter gleich anhören, aber unterschiedliche Bedeutungen in den eigenen Sprachen haben, und dies verschlimmert sich noch, wenn die Wörter in beiden Fällen gleich buchstabiert werden, wie in unserem Übeltäter hier: Curry.
In Amerika deutet Curry auf ein Gericht asiatischen Ursprungs hin, das die Meinungen der Konsumenten teilt, entweder lieben Sie es oder Sie hassen es, weil es sehr geschmacksintensiv und würzig-scharf sein wird. In Deutschland deutet Curry darauf hin, dass das Gericht gelb sein wird.
Die Übernahme des Currys in unsere kulturelle Küche spiegelt unsere sozioökonomischen Werte wider. In Amerika benutzen wir Curry unerschrocken, um zwischen denen, die im Curry-Geschmack schwelgen und denen, die unter seiner Schärfe leiden, zu unterscheiden. Lieben Sie es oder lassen Sie es.
In Deutschland gibt es keine Curry-Gewinner oder Verlierer, da Curry nur ein Werkzeug ist, um fades Essen zwar fad zu belassen, aber einen leicht gelblichen Farbton anzunehmen und somit irgendwie exotisch aussehen zu lassen. Niemand geniesst wirklich das Ergebnis von scharfer Übertreibung, und als Ausgleich wird auch niemand zurückgelassen. Niemand gewinnt wirklich, aber es verliert auch niemand. Genau, wie die Deutschen es mögen.
Schuß,
John
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In America, curry indicates a dish of Asian persuasion, which is divisive in that its consumer will either love it or hate it, because it will be very flavorful and quite likely very spicy. In Germany, curry indicates that the dish will be yellow.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Sometimes I wonder with what kind of people you come in contact here in germany, because the things you write seem so strange. This article is yet another example. With all the people I ever talked about curry, there was not one who used it to make food yellow. That’s what saffron is for. Curry is simply one word for all kinds of mixed herbs. And at least the people I know also know that.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:24 am
That is so true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 9th, 2008 at 6:45 am
What you mean (and what is on the picture) is “curry wurst”, a west german (and western Berlin) post war saussage when meat and spices were rare. It became a fast food meal in the 50ies, it did survive the times and can sometimes be very good.
A “curry” is the same in Germany as everywhere in the world. And be sure there are a lot of Germans who like really spicy food.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Well, your right, our idea of curry includes some fries and wurst and it tastes mostly harmless. But sometimes you find a place, where it can be a little bit different. And such a place is in Frankfurt, the “Best Worscht in Town” Frittenbude, where you can choose your spice-level from lame to devil like. If you ever come to Frankfurt, check it out http://www.snack-point.com/
July 9th, 2008 at 8:12 am
this article is just wrong. curry is just an indian spice.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:48 am
@Flo
Wikipedia says that curry is a dish, not a spice, but in german speaking countries it means a spice melange. And this is wrong in the original meaning of curry.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Yea, it sucks. If you order something spicy around here, even at an italian or indian restaurant, the food will usually have no flavor at all.
Imagine the “spice-level” as a mountain. Germans believe they already climbed the top, because they occasionally eat things labeled extrascharf or something. But in fact they always move on flat land.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:28 am
“Curry” in German can be the dish or short for “curry powder”. Americans won’t know about the latter, because it is a British invention. Please see more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry_powder
July 9th, 2008 at 11:10 am
I am pretty sure we have curry powder over here.
Also, tell me that when your school cantine serves curry chicken, it is not a slab of chicken drenched in delicious yellow.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
well observed. They can turn any foreign dish into a weird germanized version…cue the fake “american” pizza with corn
July 9th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
It’s amazing how defensive Germans are about the general inabilty to find anything spicey and the general disinclination to actually spice anything. One can make a curry, with a melange of spices that one can call curry. But here, when I order an extra-scharf curry, it has turmeric in it. But, go Vietnamese or Korean and you can sometimes persuade them to allow you to get a normal level of heat.
I believe that in the 10 months I have lived here, that I have used more spices than my (lovely and German) mother-in-law has used in her life. Although she believes that MSG (here known as MNG) is an exciting new spice.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Having lived in the southern states for the past 17 years I find it interesting that Americans would complain about food not being spicy enough….
That used to be my complaint about food right here: “It’s bland or overcooked, with no taste whatsoever, yadayadayada”
If you take a little time, you’ll find the places where the best foods can be had, spicy - not spicy, whatever. But to generalize a people (The Germans/Americans just don’t know how to prepare ……) is so wrong on so many levels.
I like certain foods here in the States, that I don’t like in Germany. And vice versa.
And just to point that out: The Chinese or Thai or whatever “ethnic” food served in either Germany or USA is NOTHING like its original inspiration. It’s been adjusted to whatever local flavor!
PS: I love German Currywurst but even there you have different versions. Just travel north to south in Germany and order one in each area.
DIVERSITY RULES!!!!!!!!
July 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
In Germany Curry is always a yellow spice (Curry powder). The spice has a very light taste. We use it for Currywurst, and to make a sauce with pineapple.
But there is a second meaning! Curry also means sauce. Mainly a brown sauce in a squeeze-bottle.
Here’s a picture: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hela_Gewürzwerk_Hermann_Laue
I can’t think of any food or sauce in Germany that’s really hot. Even if the bottle says “Very hot” (is it the right term?) it is mild compared to really hot things…
July 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Realize how (we) Germans like to rectify you’re posts? Found that funny.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Yeah, I guess my next article will be about how Germans always tell you that you are wrong and include a Wikipedia reference to prove it.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Well, Germans don’t know everything, but everything better. Or so I read somewhere.
As for hot: Try Löwensenf extra scharf. I haven’t seen any mustard in the US that comes even close. Mostly I see American mustard as you see German Curry powder. It adds color, and that’s it. Oh, and, for mustard, it also adds calories, of course. I bet even mustard here has corn syrup. Yuck.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Everything is better with some yummy high fructose corn syrup.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Mmmm… spicy high fructose corn syrup.
Thanks for distracting all the defensive Germans and keeping them away from all the other expat blogs.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
>No one really wins, but no one really loses. Just how the Germans like it.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Being an Austrian, I can’t really tell what curry means in Germany, but I suppose that it has the same meaning as here which, in turn, is the same as in the whole Western world (afaik): An umbrella term for curry powder - a spice mix - and a whole multitude of dishes which are made from it.
Berliner “currywurst” is of course not a shining example for spicy dishes in German cuisine, but firstly there are better ones and secondly, if I were surrounded by commies for 40 years I’d probably also settle for yellow-colored ketchup with a subtly exotic touch.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
You Austrians were Commies too!
July 10th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Especially the older germans in fact only know the yellow variety of curry powder. I once took my mother into an asian supermarket, and she was flabbergasted when she saw all those curry powders, curry paste and so on.
July 10th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
“You Austrians were Commies too!”
Forget China, forget North Korea!!
Comrade Schwarzenegger has already taken over California!! :-))