Indian Food And Culinary Traditions

India and Indian food goes hand in hand. Food holds a great importance in the culture and tradition of India. Not only the Indian food is finger- licking delicious but, also holds a great nutritional value. All the vegetables, legumes, herbs, grains, etc are loaded with one of the other important nutrients. This makes Indian cuisines one of the healthiest cuisines in the world menu and that too, without compromising on overall health of a person.

Food and special cuisine are very important in the Indian lifestyle. Families pride themselves on serving the best food when they visit with friends and family. There is also a wide variety of dishes and cooking techniques when making Indian food. Different spices are often utilised, so the food is extremely flavorful.

The history of Indian cuisine goes all the way back to 7000 BCE when sesame, eggplant and cattle were introduced. Around 3000 BCE the spices turmeric, cardamom, pepper and mustard were first used (these spices are especially prevalent in Indian cooking today.) When invasions and new immigrants came later, tomatoes, chillies, and potatoes became staples in the Indians’ diet.

India is a vast country. There are several states and regions and each state and region have its staple delicacy. This makes the Indian menu the most diverse menu in the whole world. Various regions of India have their speciality. Each Indian region uses various herbs and spices to make their food delicious and rich.

In a traditional meal, there are usually two or three main courses with many side dishes (like chutneys or roti) and desserts. Indian food is often divided into four sections by the region in which they are utilized: Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western.

Talking about North Indian food and the taste of Kashmiri cuisines tickles the taste buds. Kashmiri people use a lot of rice in their traditional dishes. Some North Indian states like Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, etc hold an expertise in making various kinds of chapattis from different flours like wheat, gram flour, refined flour, rice flour, etc. The baked bread in these regions includes Naan, Rumaali, Tandoori, etc. The influence of Mughlai food on North Indian food is quite evident.

Dessert cuisines of Western Indian states are quite a popular. Be it Rajasthan or Gujarat, both these states are known for their desserts and other foods like dals (pulses) and achars (pickles). This could be due to the lack of vegetables in these regions.

Talking about Maharashtrian cuisines, it is a mix of southern as well as northern cooking styles. Rice and wheat have a safe place in the cuisines native to Maharashtra. Whereas, Goan cuisines find Portuguese influence. They are sweet and sour dishes.

Assamese and Bengali cooking styles are quite famous. Bengalis use rice for making their staple dishes. They use “Bamboo Shoots” for the preparation of various delicacies and milk is used in preparing desserts. Bengali desserts like Rasgulla, cham cham and Sandesh are very popular all over India.

South India is known for its rich spices as well as coconut and the dishes belong to the southern part of the country show richness of spices and of course a lot of coconuts. The staple dishes of Tamil Nadu bring in use a lot of tamarinds that accounts for the sourness of their staple dishes. In Andhra Pradesh, the use of chillies is quite extensive. The dishes of Kerala like idlis, dosas, rice puttu, etc are some of the tastiest Indian cuisines.

From ultra spicy food to delectable confectionery and southern curries flavoured with kokum, Indian culinary culture is delicious and diverse. Not only in taste but also in the way of cooking, Indian foods are totally different from the rest of the world. Indian foods showcase the perfect mixture of tradition, culture, and love. It is evolving from ages and that’s why there are different forms of Indian food.

In Indian culture and traditions, food is considered very important. Food is considered as a pious thing in India. It is distributed as the sacrament in various religious ceremonies. If you check the list of the best Indian cuisines, it will take you forever to reach the end. There are n numbers of healthy, rich and delicious cuisines that are made in India.