Curry powder is a spice mix of widely varying composition based on South Asian cuisine. Curry powder and the contemporary English use of the word "curry" are Western inventions and do not reflect any specific South Asianfood, though a similar mixture of spices used in north South Asia is calledgaram masala. Curry powder is actually closer to the Tamil sambarpowder,[citation needed] and the word "curry" is derived from the Tamil wordkari meaning "sauce, relish for rice".[1][2]However, use of curry was prevalent inSouth Asia much before the advent of Europeans in India. In fact, almost 4000 years prior to the advent of Europeans, curry with key ingredients of ginger,garlic, and turmeric was used in theIndus Valley Civilization