Think of India and one of the first things that comes to mind is its diversity.

A large
country, its population is second only to China, its languages are numerous and every
state (of which there are 28 and seven nion territories! is uni"ue in its traditions and
very importantly, its food. In fact, food from one region may actually #e totally alien to a
person from another region$ The common thread that runs through most Indian food
though, is the use of numerous spices to create flavor and aroma.
The culture of food
Indians take their food very seriously. Cooking is considered an art and mothers usually
#egin to teach their daughters and pass down family recipes #y show%and%tell, fairly
young in life. &ealtimes are important occasions for family to get together. &ost meals
comprise of several dishes ranging from staples like rice and #reads to meat and
vegeta#les and rounded off with a dessert. In a lot of Indian homes, foods are made from
scratch with fresh ingredients. 'or e(ample, some families #uy their favorite type of
wheat, wash it, dry it in the sun and then take it in to a flourmill to have it ground into
flour e(actly the way they like, as opposed to #uying flour from a store$ This is changing
in #igger cities where people have increasingly hectic lives and are happy to use ready%to%
eat, pre%made ingredients.
To eat (meat) or not to eat?
To the western mind, India is perceived as largely vegetarian. This is not necessarily true.
To a larger e(tent, religious #eliefs (as compared to personal preference! dictate what a
person cannot eat. 'or e(ample, Islam for#ids its followers from eating pork while a lot
of )indus do not eat #eef. 'ollowers of the *ain faith a#stain from all meats and even
avoid onions and garlic$
The matter of influence
Throughout history India has #een invaded and occupied #y other cultures and each has
left its own mark on Indian cuisine. +ome of the predominant influences have #een,
Aryan % which focused on the mind%, #ody%enhancing properties of foods- .ersian and
Ara# % which led to the &ughal style of cooking with rich, thick gravies and the use of
dry fruits like cashews and almonds in dishes- /ritish % which gave India its love of tea
and put the 0uropean twist into some dishes. Anglo%Indian cuisine was the delicious
result- .ortuguese 1 which left its mark on parts of India in the form of dishes like the
world%renowned 2indaloo and 3acuti.
Delving deeper
As far as food is concerned, India can very roughly #e divided into four regions. 0ach
region has several states in it and each state its own uni"ue food. )ere4s a #rief look at
the cuisines of 5orth, +outh, 0ast and 6est India. 7ne must of course, always remem#er
that no such description can entirely cover the huge variety of Indian food. The true
discovery of it, can take years of patient and very pleasura#le gastronomic
e(perimentation.
States included, *ammu 8 9ashmir, )imachal .radesh, .un:a#, ttaranchal, ttar
.radesh, )aryana, /ihar, *harkhand, Chattisgarh and &adhya .radesh.
Geographical and cultural influence on the regions cuisine, 5orth India has e(treme
climates 1 summers are hot and winters are cold. There is an a#undance of fresh seasonal
fruit and vegeta#le to #e had. Its geographical position with relation to the rest of the
+u#%continent means that this region of the country has had strong Central Asian
influences #oth in its culture and its food. &ughlai and 9ashmiri styles of cooking are not
:ust prevalent, they are also popular.
Style of food, 5orth Indian curries usually have thick, moderately spicy and creamy
gravies. The use of dried fruits and nuts is fairly common even in everyday foods. ;airy
products like milk, cream, cottage cheese, ghee (clarified #utter! and yoghurt play an
important role in the cooking of #oth savory and sweet dishes. Thanks to the fact that
such a rich variety of fruit and vegeta#le is availa#le at all times of the year, the region
produces a da<<ling array of vegetarian dishes.
Staple foods, 5orth Indians seem to prefer Indian #reads over rice, if the rich variety is
anything to go #y. This region is home to the tandoori roti and naans (#read made in a
clay tandoor oven!, stuffed parathas (flaky Indian #read with different kinds of vegetarian
and non%vegetarian fillings! and kulchas (#read made from fermented dough!. =ice is
also popular and made into ela#orate #iryanis and pulaos (pilafs!.
Cooking oils commonly used, 2egeta#le oils like sunflower and canola. &ustard oil is
rarely used and only in some states of the region. >hee is normally reserved for special
occasion cooking.
Important spices and ingredients, Coriander, Cumin, ;ry red chillies, turmeric, Chilli
powder, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, >aram &asala, Aniseed?'ennel, etc.
opular dishes, &utter .aneer (a curry made with cottage cheese and peas!, /iryani,
.ulaos, ;aal &akhani, ;ahi >osht, /utter Chicken, Chicken Tikka, 'ish Amritsari,
+amosas (snack with a pastry case with different kinds of fillings!, Chaat (hot%sweet%sour
snack made with potato, chick peas and tangy chutneys!, &otichoor laddoo....