Curry is a generic term primarily employed in Western culture to denote a wide variety of dishes originating in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines. Their common feature is the incorporation of more or less complex combinations of spices / herbs, usually (but not invariably) including fresh or dried hot capsicum peppers, commonly called “chili” or “cayenne” peppers. New research at Oregon State University has discovered that curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric used in some curry dishes, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that’s known to be important in the innate immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals