The Great Indian Cuisine
India is a country of rich and varied culture. As are the Indian traditions – diverse and colourful, so is the food. Spices and herbs are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Every state of India offers a spectrum of delicious delicacies. The diverse climatic conditions have a remarkable influence on the food habits of its states. Let’s take a tour to the food of most preferred states.
Punjabi: A state of passionate food lovers. Punjabi dishes are tempting, rich in calorie but healthy. Significant feature of Punjabi dishes are butter, ghee and cheese. Their hot favourite dish is parathas with ghee or white butter, commonly known as makkhan. Staple diet of Punjabis is roti, naan and parathas. Rice is cooked only on special occasions. Hallmark of Punjabi food are dal makhani, amritsari kulche, rajmah and pindi choley.
South Indian: As are the people of south India, simple and traditional, so is the food. Staple diet of south Indians are rice, idli, sambhar, rasam, vada, upma, pulao, hyderabadi biryani. Coconut is relished in all forms, fresh as well as dry and considered as an important ingredient of most of the South Indian dishes. Other essentials are spices, tamarind, coconut oil and lentils.
Bengali: Bengali cuisine is famous for its desserts, such as rasagolla, sandesh, chumchum and many other delicious sweets. Staple diet is fish and boiled rice or spiced rice, locally termed as ghonto. Their curries are of various types such as bhaja (fried stuff), jhol (thin spicy curry), bata (thick paste), and chochchoree (vapourized curries with less spice).
Gujarati: Food of Gujarat is mainly vegetarian. Gujarati thalis are a big hit in all parts of the country. Thali includes roti, rice, dal, kadhi and sabzi/shaak. Most of the Gujarati dishes taste sweet, as they use sugar or brown sugar commonly, to neutralise the salty taste of water. The famous Gujarati dishes are thepala, chakri, khakhra, dhokla, bhajiya, khaman, khandvi, shrikhand, puran poli, to name a few.
Rajasthani: The state of great and brave Rajputs. Rajasthan is famous for not only great food but heroism. The ever famous Rajasthani thali comprises variety of delicious dishes, such as dal bati churma, three to four different vegetables, kadhi, dal, bajree ki roti along with some finger licking chutneys, papad and not to miss chhas (lassi). Besides spicy food, Rajasthani sweet dishes like ladoos, malpuas, jalebies, ghevar, rasgolla, sohan halwa, mawa are also very tempting and tasty.
Maharashtrian: It offers a wide range of delicious dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Typical Marathi food includes rice, bakhris (roti made of rice or wheat flour), dal, dry vegetables, followed by gravy vegetables and curries, chutneys along with masala pappad. Non-vegetarian delicacies are bombil, prawns (locally called as jhinga), promfret, bangda. They also have variety of snacks and desserts such as vada pav, kaande pohe (beaten flaked rice with onions), shreekhand, modak. Food is mostly cooked in cashew nut or peanut oil.
Explore the exotic Indian cuisine and rejoice.