Indian Cuisine

Traditional Indian food

It consisted mainly of vegetarian items like wheat, rice, lentils since the people in the very beginning of the civilization were Hindus and preferred only vegetarian food. With the Mughals entering India, rich non-vegetarian food became a part of the Indian food that we today know is so popular. They brought in all kinds of breads, gravies, curries, kebabs, fruits like peaches, melons etc. The use of red chilies, tomatoes, potatoes also increased rapidly. The most popular Nizam era food is the Hyderabadi Biryani, which has been around for ages and continues to be a rage among the Indians even today. The different states of India have different foods to offer, creating an unending chain of delicacies.

Foods from some parts of India

Most popular Maharashtrian delicacies

Pohe – A dish made of parched rice with onions, nuts, coriander, salt and oil. It is a popular item for breakfast. In a typical Maharashtrian family, it can be had at any time of the day.

Misal – A popular breakfast item again that is made of sprouts and topped with other cooked items, served with bread called pav.

Jhunka-Bhakri – This is the staple food of farmers, made from powdered dal and served with bread made of bajra or jowar.

Sabudana Khichdi – It is a food eaten widely as a fasting diet, made of sago and mixed with groundnut powder, chilies, coriander, salt, oil.

Bharli wangi – This is eggplant stuffed with spices, groundnut powder, and coconut. It is usually eaten with an Indian bread called bhakri.

Wada Pav – This is the most popular of all the foods from Maharashtra and is also known as the Indian burger.

Aamti – This is a curry made of dal that tastes spicy, tangy and sweet, all at the same time.

Puran poli – This is a sweet Indian bread made of jaggery, dal and cardamom powder.

Shrikhand – This is yet again a rich sweet dish made from hung curd and mixed with dry fruits, cardamom powder, and saffron. It is served with a fried variety of bread called puri.

Rassa – This is a non-vegetarian variety which can have anything from chicken, lamb, fish, prawns to mutton or any other seafood. The term ‘rassa’ simply means curry

Most popular South-Indian delicacies

The variety in South Indian foods is owing to the fact that there are four different states that contribute to this cuisine, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. There are a few common foods and some special varieties. The common foods are idli, dosa, uttapam etc. The Udupi style Masala Dosa is popular because of the place called Udupi in Karnataka. Appam, avial etc are delicacies from Kerala, while kebabs, curries are from Andhra Pradesh.

Most popular Gujrati delicacies are khandvi, khaman, dal dhokli, basundi, Gujrati kadhi, chhunda, chakli, gundaa, undhiyo to name just a few.

Most popular Bengali delicacies are ambal, bhaja, bhapa, bhate, bhuna, dalna, dal, ghanto, jhal, jhol, koftas, tarkari etc.

Most popular Rajasthani delicacies are aloo bharta, gatte ka pulao, makki paneer pakora, papad ka shaak, rajasthani bhindi, methi ke gatte, missi roti, khasta puri etc.

Most popular Punjabi delicacies include preparations of paneer (Cottage cheese), breads like parathas, naan, Tandoori preparation like roti, kulcha, chicken, chana masala, rajma etc

The influence of other countries can also be widely seen in India like French fries, hamburgers, Russian salads, pizzas, a variety of pastas, continental breakfast foods, buns, cakes and rolls etc.

The beverages in India are also worth a mention. The traditional Thandai, Lassi, Flavoured milk, milkshakes (with several Indian flavours like elaichi milk, baadam milk etc), are huge hits among the Indians and the tourists alike.

The Chinese preparations are modified to suit Indian tastes, so they can be called Indo-Chinese delicacies. The Indians have an uncanny style of modifying dishes to suit their taste buds.

All in all, the country offers various options, the more you explore, the more you find. The variety in all kinds of food, be it fried, baked, dried, cooked or any other method used to make food edible available under the sun, can hardly be found anywhere else. So all you first timers out there; when in India taste all that you can!