Curry is not a single spice but a blend of a number of spices. There are as many different formulas as there are manufacturers and grinders. Each one has its own particular series of blends or combinations of blends, such as mild, mildly sweet, hot, mildly hot, and so on down the list. A curry powder may contain as many as sixteen different spices. Among them are allspice, black pepper, red pepper, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom seed, coriander seed, mustard seed, nutmeg, saffron, and tumeric. Curry powder is one of the world's oldest seasonings, and has come to us from the Parsees and the East Indians. Both the aroma and the flavor are hauntingly exotic; and when the powder is used in small quantities, the most subtle seasoning is given to many foods. This golden-yellow blend has been called the "salt of the Orient," for it is used so constantly. And a curry, any dish prepared with curry powder, is the national dish of India, if a country can be said to have one particular dish. The intriguing and exotic flavor of curry powder is equally delicious with eggs, fish, game, meats, and vegetables. Always served with rice, the mild curries should be the first ones given to the uninitiated. For those who are accustomed to the more highly seasoned combinations any curry blend will be relished. In favorite and familiar recipes the amount of curry powder used can vary from 1 teaspoon to as much as 1 or 2 tablespoons, according to personal tastes.

Source: Miloradovich, Milo (1950). Cooking with Herbs and Spices. New York: Dover; pp. 219-220.