Uttarakhand Information Centre

India’s religious beliefs and culture have played an influential role in the evolution of its cuisine. However, India’s cuisine also evolved with the subcontinent’s cross-cultural interactions with the neighboring Middle East and Central Asia as well as the Mediterranean, making it a unique blend of various cuisines from across Asia. The spice trade between India and Europe is often cited as the main catalyst for Europe’s Age of Discovery. The colonial period introduced European cooking styles to India adding to the flexibility and diversity of Indian cuisine. Indian cuisine has had a remarkable influence on cuisines across the world, especially those from Southeast Asia.In particular, curry, which originated in India, is used to flavor food across Asia.

Contents 1 History and influences 2 Elements 3 Geographical varieties 3.1 Northern 3.2 Eastern 3.3 Southern 3.4 Western 3.5 North Eastern 4 Popularity and influence outside India 5 Beverages 6 Etiquette 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Bibliography 9 External links

History and influences

As a land that has experienced extensive immigration and intermingling through many millennia, India’s cuisine has benefited from numerous food
influences. The diverse climate in the region, ranging from deep tropical to
alpine, has also helped considerably broaden the set of ingredients readily
available to the many schools of cookery in India. In many cases, food has
become a marker of religious and social identity, with varying taboos and
preferences (for instance, a segment of the Jain population will not consume
any roots or subterranean vegetables; see Jain vegetarianism).
One strong influence over Indian foods is the longstanding vegetarianism within
sections of India’s Hindu, Buddhist and
Jain communities. People who follow a strict vegetarian diet make up 20–42% of
the population in India, while less than 30% are regular meat-eaters.

Around 7000 BC, sesame, eggplant, and humped cattle had been domesticated
in the Indus
Valley. By 3000 BC, turmeric, cardamom, black
pepper and mustard were harvested in
India. Many recipes first emerged during the initial Vedic period, when India
was still heavily forested and agriculture was complemented with game hunting
and forest produce. In Vedic times, a normal
diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, meat, grain, dairy products and honey. Over time, some segments of the population embraced vegetarianism, due to
ancient Hindu philosophy of ahimsa. This practice gained more popularity following the advent of Buddhism and a cooperative
climate where variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains could easily be grown
throughout the year. A food classification system that categorised any item as saatvic, raajsic or taamsic developed in Ayurveda. Each
was deemed to have a powerful effect on the body and the mind

Later, invasions from Central Asia, Arabia, the Mughal
empire, and Persia, and others had a deep and
fundamental effect on Indian cooking. Influence from traders such as the Arab
and Portuguese
diversified subcontinental tastes and meals. As with other cuisines, Indian
cuisine has absorbed New World vegetables such as tomato, chilli, and potato, as staples.
These are actually relatively
recent additions.

Islamic rule introduced
rich gravies, pilafs and non-vegetarian fare
such as kebabs,
resulting in Mughlai cuisine (Mughal in
origin), as well as such fruits as apricots, melons, peaches, and plums. The
Mughals were great patrons of cooking. Lavish dishes were prepared during the
reigns of Jahangir and Shah
Jahan. The Nizams of Hyderabad state
meanwhile developed and perfected their own style of cooking with the most
notable dish being the Biryani.

During this period the Portuguese and British introduced foods
from the New
World such as potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and chilies as well as cooking
techniques like baking.

Elements

The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (whole wheat flour),
and a variety of pulses, the most important of
which are masoor (most often red lentil), chana (bengal gram), toor (pigeon
pea or yellow gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram). Pulses may be used whole,
dehusked, for example dhuli moong or dhuli urad, or split. Pulses are used
extensively in the form of dal (split). Some of the pulses like chana and “Mung” are also processed into flour (besan).

Most Indian curries are cooked in vegetable oil. In North and West India, groundnut oil has
traditionally been most popular for cooking, while in Eastern India, mustard
oil is more commonly used. In South India, coconut oil and Gingelly Oil
is common. In recent decades, sunflower oil and soybean oil have
gained popularity all over India. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, known as Vanaspati ghee, is also a popular cooking medium that replaces Desi ghee, clarified butter
(the milk solids have been removed).

The most important/frequently used spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed
(rai), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi, manjal), fenugreek (methi), asafoetida (hing,
perungayam), ginger (adrak, inji), coriander, and garlic (lassan,
poondu). Popular spice mixes are garam masala which is
usually a powder of five or more dried spices, commonly including cardamom,
cinnamon, and clove. Each region, and sometimes
each individual chef, has a distinctive blend of Garam Masala. Goda Masala is a
popular spice mix in Maharashtra. Some leaves are commonly used like tejpat (cassia
leaf), coriander leaf, fenugreek leaf
and mint leaf.
The common use of curry leaves is typical of
all South Indian cuisine. In sweet dishes, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, and rose petal essence are used.

The term “curry” is usually understood to mean “gravy” in India, rather than
“spices.” The term Desi Diet indicates a Diet followed by Indians.

Geographical varieties

Northern

North
Indian cuisine is distinguished by the proportionally high use of dairy products; milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt (yogurt, yoghourt) are
all common ingredients. Gravies are typically dairy-based.
Other common ingredients include chilies, saffron, and nuts.

North
Indian cooking features the use of the “tawa” (griddle) for baking flat
breads like roti and paratha, and
“tandoor” (a
large and cylindrical charcoal-fired oven) for baking breads such as naan, 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.

The samosa is
a popular North Indian snack, and now commonly found in other parts of India, Central
Asia, North America, Britain and the Middle
East. A common variety is filled with boiled, fried, or mashed potato. Other
fillings include minced meat, cheese (paneer), mushroom (khumbi), and
chick pea.

The staple food of most of North India is a variety of lentils,
vegetables, and roti (wheat based bread). The varieties used and the method of preparation can vary
from place to place. Popular snacks, side-dishes and drinks include mirchi bada, buknu, bhujiya, chaat, kachori, imarti, several types of pickles
(also known as achar), murabba, sharbat, aam panna and aam
papad. Popular sweets are known as mithai (means sweetmeat in Hindi),
such as gulab jamun, jalebi, peda, petha, rewadi, gajak, bal
mithai, singori, kulfi, falooda, khaja, ras malai, gulkand, and several varieties
of laddu, barfi and halwa.

Some common North Indian foods such as the various kebabs and most of
the meat dishes originated with Muslims’ incursions into the
country. Considering their shared historic and cultural heritage, Pakistani cuisine and North
Indian cuisine are very similar.

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. Many of the sweet dishes
now popular in Northern India initially originated in the Bengal and Orissa regions. Apart from
sweets, East India cuisine offers delights of posta (poppy seeds).

Traditional cuisines of Orissa, Bengal, and Assam are delicately
spiced. General ingredients used in Oriya, Bengali, and Assamese curries are
mustard seeds, cumin seeds, nigella, green chillies, cumin paste and the spice
mix panch phoron or panch phutana. Mustard
paste, curd, nuts, poppy seed paste and cashew paste are preferably cooked in mustard
oil. Curries are classified into bata (paste), bhaja (fries), chochchoree
(less spicy vapourized curries) and jhol (thin spicy curries).These are eaten
with plain boiled rice or ghonto (spiced rice).
Traditional breakfasts includes pantabhat or pakhaal, as well as cereals such
as puffed
rice or pressed rice, in milk, often with fruits. The cuisine of Bangladesh is very similar to eastern Indian cuisine, particularly that of West
Bengal. Fish and shellfish are commonly consumed in the eastern part of
India. The popular vegetable dishes of Orissa are Dalma and Santula. The most
popular vegetable dish of Bengal is Sukto. Deep fried, shallow fried and mashed
vegetables are also very popular. As in southern India, rice is the staple grain
in Eastern India too. A regular meal consists of lentils, a primary non
vegetarian side dish usually made of fish and a few other secondary side dishes
made of vegetables.

Southern

South
Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the
ubiquity of sambar and rasam (also called chaaru and rasam), a variety of pickles, and the liberal use of coconut and
particularly coconut oil and curry
leaves. Curries called Kozhambu
are also popular and are typically vegetable stews cooked with spices, tamarind
and other ingredients. The dosa, poori, idli, vada, bonda and bajji are typical
South Indian favorites. These are generally consumed as part of breakfast. Other
popular dishes include Kesaribath, Upma, Pulao, Puliyodharai
and Thengai
Sadham. Hyderabadi biryani, a
popular type of biryani, reflects the diversity
of south Indian cuisine. South Indian cuisine obtains its distinct flavours by the use of tamarind,
coconuts, lentils, rice and a variety of vegetables.Udupi cuisine is one of
the popular cuisine of South India.

Andhra, Chettinad, Tamil, Hyderabadi,
Mangalorean, and Kerala cuisines each
have distinct tastes and methods of cooking . In fact each of the South Indian
states has a different way of preparing sambar; a connoisseur of South Indian
food will very easily tell the difference between sambar from Kerala, sambar from Tamil
cuisine, Sambar from Karnataka and pappu
chaaru in Andhra cuisine.Some
popular dishes include the Biriyani, Ghee Rice with meat curry, seafood (prawns,
mussels, mackerel) and paper thin Pathiris from Malabar area.

Western

Western
India has three major food groups: 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. Saraswat cuisine forms
an important part of coastal Konkani Indian cuisine. Gujarati cuisine is
predominantly vegetarian. Many Gujarati
dishes have a hint of sweetness due to use of sugar or brown sugar. Goan
cuisine is influenced by the Portuguese colonization of Goa.

North Eastern

The food of the North East is very
different from other parts of India. This area’s cuisine is more influenced by
its neighbours, namely Burma and the People’s
Republic of China. For example it uses less of the well known spices that
are popular in other parts of India. Yak is a popular meat in this region
of India.

Popularity and influence outside India

Indian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines across the globe. The cuisine is popular not only among the large Indian diaspora but also
among the mainstream population of North America and Europe. In 2003, there were as many as 10,000 restaurants serving Indian cuisine in
England alone. A survey held in 2007 revealed that more than 1,200 Indian food products have
been introduced in the United States since 2000. According to Britain’s Food Standards
Agency, the Indian food industry in the United Kingdom is worth £3.2
billion, accounts for two-thirds of all eating out and serves about 2.5 million
British customers every week.

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. Indian influence on Malay cuisine dates back to 19-century. Other cuisines which borrow Indian cooking styles include Vietnamese cuisine, Indonesian
cuisine and Thai cuisine. The spread of vegetarianism in other parts of Asia is often credited to ancient
Indian Buddhist practices. Indian cuisine is also fairly popular in the Arab world
because of its similarity and influence on Arab cuisine.

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. Historically, Indian spices and herbs
were one of the most sought after trade commodities. The spice trade between India
and Europe led to the rise and dominance of Arab traders to such an extent that
European explorers, such as Vasco da Gama and Christopher
Columbus, set out to find new trade routes with India leading to the Age of
Discovery.

Beverages

Tea is a staple
beverage throughout India; the finest varieties are grown in Darjeeling and Assam. It is generally prepared as masala
chai, wherein the tea leaves are boiled in a mix of water, spices such
as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, and large quantities of milk to
create a thick, sweet, milky concoction. 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. One of the finest varieties of Coffea
arabica is grown around Mysore, Karnataka, and is marketed
under the trade name “Mysore Nuggets”. Indian filter
coffee, or kaapi, is also especially popular in South India. Other
beverages include nimbu pani (lemonade), lassi, chaach, badam doodh (almond milk with nuts and cardamom), sharbat and coconut
water. In Southern India there is a beverage served cold known as Panner
Soda or Gholi Soda which is a mixture of carbonated water, rose
water, and sugar. Another beverage from the South is rose milk, which is
served cold.

India also has many indigenous alcoholic beverages,
including palm wine, fenny and Indian
beer. There’s also bhang, prepared using cannabis, and
typically consumed, especially in North India, during Holi and Vaisakhi. However the practice
of drinking a specific beverage with a meal, or wine and food
matching, is not traditional or common in India.

Although the above listed beverages are popular, people often prefer to
consume drinking water with their food, because drinking water is considered to
not overshadow the taste of the food. In fact it is customary to offer drinking
water to guests before serving any hot or cold drinks.

Etiquette

Several customs are associated with the manner of food consumption.
Traditionally, meals are eaten while seated either on the floor or on very low
stools or cushions. Food is most often eaten without cutlery, using instead the
fingers of the right hand. However, these traditional ways of dining are being
influenced by eating styles from other parts of the world. Eating with your
hands is considered important in Indian etiquette because a person eating with
his hands knows the exact temperature of food before the morsel hits his mouth
thus preventing blisters in mouth due to consumption of hot food.

Traditional serving styles vary from region to region in India. A universal
aspect of presentation is the thali, a large plate with
samplings of different regional dishes accompanied by raita, breads such as naan, puri, or roti, and rice. In South India, a
cleaned banana leaf is often used as a hygienic, visually interesting and
environmentally friendly, alternative to plates.

Amongst upper class north Indians, cutlery, which has been adopted since
Roman influence in the 16th century is now in common use amongst the upper
classes; the Roman’s exports of Pepper lead to the introduction of cutlery in
Asia. Amongst the upper class communities of Punjab, Delhi, Rajhistan, Mumbai,
Lucknow, and Himachal spoons and forks have been adopted. Whilst it is
considered uncouth to not use cutlery when eating a meal accompanied by rice, it
is actually considered obscene to use cutlery when eating with any form of roti
(Indian bread).

See also

• Indian bread
• Curry
• Spices
• Multilingual
  list of Indian Vegetables

References

External links