Curry: A Biography

The Guardian has a so-so review. Maybe the book by Lizzie Collingham is better. The Wikipedia entry is more than adequate.
The term 'curry' was a product of the British Raj and the word has since become synonymous worldwide for food from the Indian sub-continent. But credit where credit is due: praise be to those 16th century Spanish explorers, adventurers, merchants and missionaries who brought those fiery red chilis from Central America to the Indian sub-continent, China and southeast Asia. Without those chilis, not only Indian but also Thai, Vietnamese, Malay and Sichuan food would taste totally different...