INDIAN CUISINE
It is rightly quoted that India is a “land of spices”. The cuisine of india is characterised by the use of spices, herbs, and other vegetables grown in india. It is one of the most popular csuisine across the globe.
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIETIES
NORTHERN:
North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the proportionally high use of DAIRY products; milk, using the “tawa” (griddle) for baking flat breads like roti and parantha, and kulcha, main courses like tandoori chicken also cook in the tandoor. Other breads like puri and bhatoora, which are deep fried in oil, are also common. Goat and lamb meats are favored ingredients of many northern Indian recipes.
SOUTHERN
South Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the use of sambar and rasam (also called chaaru/saaru and rasam), a variety of pickles, and the liberal use of coconut and particularly coconut oil and curry leaves.
EASTERN
East Indian cuisine is famous for its desserts, especially sweets such as rasagolla, chumchum, sandesh, rasabali, chhena poda, chhena gaja, chhena jalebi and kheeri.Fish and shellfish are commonly consumed in the eastern part of India.As in southern India, rice is the staple grain in Eastern India too.
WESTERN
Western Indian cuisine has three major regions: Gujarati, Maharashtrian and Goan. Maharashtrian cuisine has mainly two sections defined by the geographical sections. The coastal regions, geographically similar to Goa depend more on rice, coconut, and fish. The hilly regions of the Western Ghats and Deccan plateau regions use groundnut in place of coconut and depend more on jowar (sorghum) and bajra (millet) as staples.
That was a sneak peak into the wide geographical variety of Indian cuisine. Apart form the various dishes there are ceratin beverages which are offered in it. Tea is a staple beverage throughout India; the finest varieties are grown in Darjeeling and Assam.Different varieties and flavors of tea are prepared to suit different tastes all over the country. Another popular beverage, coffee, is largely served in South India.Other beverages include nimbu pani (lemonade), lassi, chaach, badam doodh (almond milk with nuts and cardamom), sharbat and coconut water.
POPULARITY AND INFLUENCE OUTSIDE INDIA
As mentioned esrlier Insian cuisine is famous all over the globe.The cuisine is popular not only among the large Indian diaspora but also among the mainstream population of North America and Europe.A survey held in 2007 revealed that more than 1,200 Indian food products have been introduced in the United States since 2000.Apart from Europe and North America, Indian cuisine is popular in South East Asia too because of its strong historical influence on the region’s local cuisines. Indian cuisine has had considerable influence on Malaysian cooking styles and also enjoys strong popularity in Singapore.The spread of vegetarianism in other parts of Asia is often credited to ancient Indian food practices.The popularity of curry, which originated in India, across Asia has often led to the dish being labeled as the “pan-Asian” dish.Curry’s international appeal has also been compared to that of pizza.Though the tandoor did not originate in India, Indian tandoori dishes, such as chicken tikka made with Indian ingredients, enjoy widespread popularity.
