There are many inter-related/overlapping meanings of the word curry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry According to that

There are many inter-related/overlapping meanings of the word curry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry According to that Wikipedia article, the word originates from Tamil, and: "Archaeological evidence dating to 2600 BCE from Mohenjo-daro suggests the use of mortar and pestle to pound spices including mustard, fennel, cumin, and tamarind pods with which they flavoured food."