Massaman isn’t like other Thai curries — at least, not the well-known ones. Rather than being chilli-hot — like a green or red curry — it’s positively mellow, featuring ingredients that might seem more at home in a Middle Eastern spice market or an Indian kitchen than a Thai dish. Mace, nutmeg, cloves, cassia, bay leaves and nuts all play a part in this rich, aromatic, slow-braised dish’s distinctive character.
Massaman curry, as we now know it, probably started life in the 17th century, but its origins stretch much further back. Thailand, which was known as Siam until 1939, was never colonised by Europeans, but has been an important part of trade routes connecting East and West for thousands of years. Recent archaeological finds in Thailand provide evidence of this; they include coins, gems and jewellery that were originally produced in the Mediterranean, modern-day Pakistan and China before finding their way here. But it wasn’t just trinkets that were exchanged — flavours were, too, although exactly when, how and by whom is a matter of debate.
“A version of massaman curry was first introduced to Thailand by the spice traders coming over from India and as far away as Persia,” says Saiphin Moore, chef and cofounder
