I really loved this! In fact I ordered a physical copy before I even finished the eARC and I am sending copies to several friends.

Iyer starts by giving a little background on what curry is and how this dish traveled worldwide. The recipes are then separated by region, starting with Asia then going to Africa and the Middle East, Europe & Oceania, and then ending with the Americas. Each section starts with a little comment about what that region’s dishes will include and before each specific recipe, Iyer writes a little background of the region or the recipe. I loved that touch a lot. For one, I love knowing the history of food and for another I upheave been fortunate enough to travel to several of the places mentioned so it allowed me to reminisce a little.

Another thing I really liked was that Iyer acknowledges the problem around the idea of “authenticity” when it comes to global food. In the beginning he talks about how food is dynamic and how dishes change all the time so that even a “representative” or “national” dish has variations depending on the chef, which I have found that to be especially true with Asian cuisines. Even something as simple as a curry blend can be so different depending on the chef and palette, so I love that he acknowledges that.

If I could share with you 5 steaming stunning curries of deliciousness, I would — because this was a wonderful joy to read!

The words flow in this absolute (sure-to-be) classic take on curries.

Blast off on a ride around the world (really, just about every continent is covered) to learn about the history of curries (and coincidentally colonialism) through this diverse dish (and each location has its own recipe!).

With expert commentary from the people who lived, loved & grew up with curries, this is a book that will make your tastebuds ready to create in the kitchen (and if you live in a city with lots of restaurants, perhaps a night out or takeout).

From Asia to America, Europe to Africa — what spices are inherent to their people who live & work (some communities were not relocated by choice & the author does not shy away from such facts, rather he shares their joys of cooking) are explained & connections are discovered. Like the basic tenets of curries, the world’s recipes (and people) are truly interconnected in the most amazing ways!

This book is surprising in that it offers recipes from around the world. It is a journey with food and what a delightful journey it was. We are new to eating with curry but are very enthusiastic newbies. Lots of recipes bookmarked in this one.

A great resource on curries, with a diverse representation of how curries have taken shape throughout the world.

I love that each section of the book focuses on a different region of the world. And I was surprised by how widespread curries actually are.

Recipes, history, and a wonderful variety of tips adorn this book.

This book is a keeper. A well designed and nicely illustrated survey of curries around the globe. The recipes are accessible and straightforward, and the book is filled with a great selection of curry blends, curry pastes and curry dishes. Chapters on Asia, Africa & the Middle East, Europe & Oceana, and the Americas provide information about historical and traditional foodways as curries were passed along through the Indian diaspora and colonial activities.

The author provides a perfect combination of history and recipes as he tracks the permutations of curries across the globe. He is thoughtful about reaching out to others with regional specialties and is always detailed about his sources. I have already upped my basmati rice game 100% by following Iyer's steeping method, which is slightly different than the way I have always made rice.

I have numerous flagged pages, which shows that I plan to do a lot of cooking out of this book. Some particularly appealing items include Flatbreads stuffed with Curried Yellow Peas, Handheld Eggplant Pies with a Sour-Hot Coconut Dip, Prawn Curry with Darkened Cinnamon, Chicken Lemongrass Curry with Potatoes.

Iyer also explores the idea that curries can be found under different names in different parts of the world. He points to the food of Mexico as deeply connected to the food of India. His recipe for Poached Chicken with Spiced Mole Sauce is a great example of the recipes in the book: authentic, given to him by a friend and colleague who lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. The recipe is not oversimplified, but it is presented in a straightforward manner, and layers flavors with an incredibly luxurious spiced mole sauce. The author provides alternate ingredients for those that may be slightly difficult to obtain for some, for example, here giving the option of using bananas instead of plantains and canola oil for lard.

There is a lot to like about this book, and although I received an ARC digital copy for review, I plan to purchase a hard copy of this book the minute that it comes out. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Workman, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I love the entire experience of this cookbook - recipes along with the author’s personal travel and culinary experiences organized in a way that opened and expanded my knowledge of the multitude of cultural curries. It’s wonderful. The writing is lovely and personal and the recipes include tips and hints to use ingredients that, to some, including me, are new. The illustrations are lovely. A must have kitchen cookbook ! Thanks to Workman Publishing Company for this gift of a cookbook.

On the curry tail by Raghavan Iyer is an excellent source to 50 recipes from around the world, which is from Asia, Africa & The middle east, Europe & Oceania, and The Americas. The book is not only about recipes but inspires the reader with curry culture from Eurasia, European and Western Curries, Asian and Eastern Curries, Middle Eastern Curries. This book describes recipes that are authentic, classic and traditional recipes from different part of the world. Thank you NetGalley and Workman Publishing New York for an advance copy for my honest review.

On the Curry Trail
Author: Raghavan Iyer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a fun and interesting cookbook! I really enjoyed how the book featured recipes of curries from all over the world and gave some history on the dishes. The book is organized by region (Asia, Africa + the Middle East, Europe + Oceania, and the Americas) and, while there are some commonalities in the recipes, it really highlights the unique flavors of the different areas. The recipes all sound delicious and I already have a few bookmarked to make for dinner. The beautiful, colorful illustrations are just an added bonus to this great book!

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to try something new in the kitchen and learn a little history as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Workman Publishing Company, and Raghavan Iyer for an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This colorful and unique cookbook offers a great selection of recipes for those looking to learn more about their favorite dish or those looking to try something new. What makes this cookbook special however, is the story it tells about curry in all of its forms around the world. Not only does it give you the dish but the story behind it as well. The illustrations are lovely, but I'll admit I'm a sucker for photos of the dish for comparison and guidance. I missed having actual photos a little, but overall I was able to cook some of the meals well and enjoyed learning more about curry as I did so.

This cookbook has cute illustrations and fascinating information about the history of the word "curry." The recipes are delicious and diverse. You can learn how to make flavorful curry dishes from all over the world!

I absolutely love curries and this book was full of information and some recipes. I love the illustrations. I will have to purchase this book in its hardcover form for my cookbook collection.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

I originally thought this was just going to be an informational/historical book around curry. Much to my pleasant surprise it included recipes as well and was part cookbook and part historical/informational. Not a bad combo.

I love curry; and while I can't always take the heat, having this information and recipes at my fingertips means that I can alter and still get all the wonderful flavors that comes with the rest of the ingredients. And there are so many good ones in here. I've made the Koshari already (one of my favorites and I needed something to go with my feteer meshaltet) and the roti is probably on the docket soon.

But the real gem of this book is that it is split up into regions, with information about how curry originated or how it was used in the area, the types of ingredients and flavor profiles, and then the variation on recipe; one from each area within that region. The book is split into Asia, Africa & the Middle East, Europe & Oceania, and the Americas. There are a few commonalities amongst the curries, but largely they all reflect a unique profile.

If you adore curry, this would be a great recipe book to add to your collection.

Review by M. Reynard 2022

This was an interesting and unique book. A lot of history of curry in different parts of the world, and then recipes specific to that culture. With tips and techniques, and just a whole lot of fun in a recipe book. But it's not just recipes. It's an enjoyable book to be read as well to learn more about and enjoy curry.

A wonderful book about curry.Really a fascinating journey as curry traveled to different countries.Lovely illustrations delicious recipes really enjoyed.#netgalley #workmanpublishing

Love, love, love this book. It has everything: unique yet simple recipes, handy tips, the history behind culinary trends, amazing artwork that makes you hungry. It's also an armchair travel book, with recipes from France as well as Fiji.

I valued that lesser-known curry cuisines like Nonya (Chinese Malay) and South African (Cape Malay) were also represented. I highly recommend serving Bunny Chow (officially and descriptively titled Lamb Potato Stew in Bread Bowls) to your as a simple yet unusual dish.

I learnt that British Vindaloo is a Goan adaptation of a Portuguese dish, and that chicken tikka in tomato soup became chicken tikka masala.

This cookbook is a must-have for all curry lovers out there.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting book about curry around the world.

While high level at times, this book has a lot of information about different curry variations and their history. The book talks about different spice combinations by region and area and what recipes those spices are most commonly used in. There's flavor profiles and information about how curries differ around the world. Some of the recipes seem time intensive for me, but there's an interesting variety from shellfish to vegetable.

Overall an informative read.

An excellent journey across the world following the spices from India. The recipes represent countries from Mexico to Fiji, showing the reach of curry. Most recipes are meat based, with some having suggestions for how to make it vegetarian. This is a cook book, but it is also a history and exploration of “curry”.

This is a very well-researched cookbook. I thought I knew all about curry but WOW I was mistaken. The only drawback was the illustrations. Pictures rather than drawn illustrations of the food being prepared are more engaging to cookbook fans. Foodies who are adventurous and drawn toward ethnic foods will find many delicious recipes. For the casual cookbook reader, this collection of recipes might be too advanced.

Curry has always fascinated me, and the story of all the varieties of curry even more. With this book I was able to learn about curry, the dishes it is used in, it's history, tips for cooking with it and other fun facts. Not only is this book useful for learning, but it's also beautiful. The font used is so friendly and the illustrations make it a very rounded experience.