Although many South Asian restaurants advertise a wide variety of "curries," in traditional Indian cooking no one dish is referred to by this word. Curry is the anglicization of the common Hindustani word tarkiiri, meaning "green vegetable." Cooked vegetables (and sometimes even meat) are occasionally called tarkari, but this word never appears on an Indian menu. Rather you will find an array of terms that indicate the types of vegetable or meat used and the method of their preparation, such as gobi bhaji (sauteed cauliflower), subzz ka satan (vegetable stew), makhnz murgh (buttery chicken), tanduri ran (roast leg of lamb), or baingan barta (mashed eggplant).

The subcontinent of South Asia includes several countries- India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan; thus it is characterized by an immense diversity of geographical regions and corresponding cooking traditions. These regions range from dense tropical forests and fertile river valleys, where rice and a wide range of vegetables and fruits are available, to arid deserts and forested hills, where wheat, lentils and vegetables are commonly eaten. Other grains, such as barley, millet and corn, also serve as important staples in the diets of regional groups.