Why do most people think ALL Indian food is curry?

Question

There are many "sukhi" or dry, stir fry types of dishes made with lentils, dals, vegetables....

An Indian restaurant does not adequately reflect the diversity and variety of Indian cuisine. My family eats Indian foood daily but curry, we eat only once a week!

That's like asking if Americans eat hamburgers everyday!

Answer 1

Well why does everyone think that mexicans only eat tacos and burritos or rice and beans? Its just lack of knowledge.

Answer 2

because Americans are not exposed to all aspects of this culture (just restaurants)

.... and we also eat hot dogs

Answer 3

For the same reason that people think that I eat bagels or gefilte fish every day; Or that I'm from New York.

People encounter a stereotype, nobody disproves it, and they are too lazy or too busy to read about  it.

I must admit I was guilty of thinking that Indian food was only curries. I thought that way until I started grad school- my officemate was from Calcutta, and he brought delicious looking dishes for lunch that made me curious about Indian cuisine.

I never really developed a taste for curries, but I'm totally addicted to indian bread and sweets.

Answer 4

I'll take a shot at this question being non-Indian.  

I don't believe Indian food is just curry.  

However, curry, for better or worse, is synonymous to Indian cuisine.  As someone mentioned above, most Indian restaurants feature curry as a main dish and that's our only exposure to Indian food.  Most people, in the US, don't have interaction with Indian families to see what they eat on a daily basis.

This reminds me of an article about former mayor of NY, Ed Koch.  Supposedly in the late 70's, he went into a Mandarin restaurant and wanted Sweet and Sour Pork and Fried Rice (Cantonese food).  The restaurant ordered the food from a nearby Cantonese restaurant and re-plated it for him.  

As the world becomes better connected via the Internet and the media, I believe we are learning about different cultures.

Maybe you can set me straight on something...

I'm under the belief that most of the meals have at least one stew/wet dish, but not necessarily a curry.

What are typical dishes eaten during the week?

Thanks

Answer 5

It's another sad case of stereotyping.

The Muse

Answer 6

Amen sister!  I have seen quite a few questions regarding Indians eating curry 24/7 and it's very annoying not to mention insulting!

It's a stereotype and a poor one at that.  People make assumptions but what they fail to realize is that some of the best Indian dishes are NOT curries at all!