Masala and curry are strongly associated with Indian cuisine. For those unfamiliar with Indian culture, both terms might be confusing. Traditionally, curry dishes are cooked vegetables, meat or seafood with spices and salt in a creamy sauce. Usually, they have a mild flavour. Masalas are a combination of spices, nuts, grains and seeds used (among other things) to spice up a curry dish.

In Europe, the term curry also refers to an Indian spice mixture – curry powder. It is believed that British colonists brought Indian curry recipes when they returned home. Since the traditional preparation of the spice mixture was too time-consuming, they created their own mixture in the style of Indian spices used in curry dishes and named it curry after the dish, but its flavour was adapted to European taste, and it is not as spicy and aromatic as a masala. In India, it is not customary to use curry powder. Traditionally, masalas are used to spice curry dishes.