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 Asian food, though a similar mixture of spices used in north South Asia is called garam masala.urry powder is actually closer to the Tamil sambar powder, and the word curry is derived from the Tamil word kari meaning sauce, relish for rice. However, use of curry was prevalent in South Asia much before the advent of Europeans in India.