India
Traditional Food
The traditional food of India has been widely appreciated for its fabulous use of herbs and spices. Indian cuisine is known for its large assortment of dishes and it varies by region.
Indian Food Varies by Region
Punjabi:
Possibly the most famous Punjabi contribution to Indian food is the tandoori style of cooking. This method uses large earthen ovens that are heated to high temperatures using coal fires. Once hot, many types of meat, breads, or vegetable dishes may be cooked inside.
Many people in Punjab eat some meat. Thus, the state has developed many chicken and lamb dishes that are coated in spicy onion and mustard or sweet cream sauces. Milk products such as yoghurt lassis and fresh cheeses are also an important part of the Punjabi diet.
Gujarati:
Gujarati food is mainly vegetarian. The staple grain of the area is millet, with wheat as a secondary grain. Other products include peanuts, sesame, and many types of vegetables. The majority of the population does not eat meat.
Gujarati food is usually served as a "thali" meal, meaning that all items are served at once on a large plate. A traditional thali includes two vegetables cooked with spices, dahl, a flatbread, rice, pulses, and a sweet. There are also simple meals of mild rice and lentils known as "khichdi", served with a lightly spiced buttermilk or yoghurt soup called "kadhi".
Maharashtrian:
In contrast to the mainly vegetarian Gujarati food, Maharashtrians enjoy eating meat and fish with their meals. Fish may be stuffed or lightly fried, and meat is braised and spiced with sweet and sour ingredients. Peanuts and cashew nuts are widely used, as is the distinctive kokum berry, a sweet deep purple item with a slightly tangy taste.
On the coast, people eat crab, prawns, and shellfish. Maharashtrians also popularised fried rice-flour balls called "vada" (now eaten throughout the country) and a type of thin pancake called amboli made of semolina, urad dal, and fermented rice. A common sweet dish is puran poli, a flatbread stuffed with gram flour, brown sugar, and honey.
Bengali:
Bengal is known for its fish and its sweets. Located on the eastern coast of India, fish has become a staple of the Bengali diet. It may be sauted in yoghurt or marinated in Bengal's famous spice mixture. This region uses five basic spices, known collectively as "pachphoron". They are: aniseed, cumin seed, black cumin seed, mustard, and fenugreek. Even the oil that is used is mustard oil.
Many sweets eaten all over India originated in Bengal. Most are milk or cottage cheese based, including rasgolla, gulab jamun, and sondesh. Bengali sweets are often served with a sticky sweet syrup, and may even be found ending a traditional Gujarati or Goan meal!
Kerela, Karnataka, and the South:
Kerela food, from southern India, is traditionally served on a large banana leaf. The method is still used for feasts today. The staple food of southern India is rice. Different preparations of the grain may even be eaten for breakfast. The other staple is the coconut. Coconut is made into chutney, served as a refreshing desert, and incorporated into vegetable or fish dishes as a flavouring. This often gives Kerela food a surprising flavor that mixes sweetness with spices.
One can see the uses of these ingredients in many of the famous dishes of the south. For example, rice flour and urad flour are made into a batter and steamed to form rice cakes called "idli", eaten with a type of stew made of pulses and vegetables called "sambhar". Another dish, "appam", is a thin crepe made with rice flour and the sap of the cocomut palm. It is eaten with the "sambhar" mentioned above.
Snacks
Indian snacks may be salty, spicy, or sweet. Street vendors sell many different kinds, including warm dishes. Sometimes, they are substantial enough to serve as a light meal! The "pav bhaji" is a patty made of mixed vegetables that have been mashed and shallow fried and then served on a slice of bread. Another popular snack throughout the country is "bhel", a mixture of puffed rice, crunchy chickpea flour chips, onions, tomato, green peppers, and tamarind chutney.
"Pani puri" are small, hollow breads stuffed with a bit of potato, onion, or chickpea and topped with a "pani" of seasoned water. Nuts are another common choice, but they are roasted with a hot spice blend of turmeric, paparika, and cumin powder. Often a little lemon juice is squeezed on top.
"Pani puri" are small, hollow breads stuffed with a bit of potato, onion, or chickpea and topped with a "pani" of seasoned water. Nuts are another common choice, but they are roasted with a hot spice blend of turmeric, paparika, and cumin powder. Often a little lemon juice is squeezed on top.
Drinks
The most common drink in India is tea. This is prepared with milk, sugar, and a blend of ginger,nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Most people will drink this tea, called "chai" with breakfast and in the late afternoon. In fact, it may be served at any time and is a popular refreshment for guests.
An example of a common cold Indian drink is "lassi", which is a yoghurt or buttermilk drink that is sweetened and flavored with rose, mango, or served plain.
An example of a common cold Indian drink is "lassi", which is a yoghurt or buttermilk drink that is sweetened and flavored with rose, mango, or served plain.
Desserts
There are many delicious and popular desserts in India but we will just go over a few here.
Rasgulla
Rasgulla could be said to be India's favorite dessert. It is a very popular cheese based, syrupy sweet dish originally from Orissa. The dish is made form balls of chhena (which is a form of Indian cottage cheese and semolina dough, cooked in sugar syrup.
Rasgulla
Rasgulla could be said to be India's favorite dessert. It is a very popular cheese based, syrupy sweet dish originally from Orissa. The dish is made form balls of chhena (which is a form of Indian cottage cheese and semolina dough, cooked in sugar syrup.
Gulab Jamun
Gulab Jamun is among India's most popular desserts! This delicious dessert is essentially a dumpling made of thickened or reduced milk, and then soaked in rose flavored sugar syrup. It gets its name from two different words: Gulab which means rose (in Hindi, for the rose flavored syrup) and Jamun which is a kind of deep purple colored Indian berry. Gulab jamun is a sweet often presented at festivals or major celebrations such as marriages or the festival of lights Diwali.
Kaju Barfi
Kaju or Kajoo Barfi (Pronunciation: Kaa-joo Bur-fee) is a type of Cashew Fudge. It usually presented in the form of a diamond-shaped bar. It is more of a take-away sweet, and is often presented to guests on auspicious occasions like the birth of a child or weddings. It is rather expensive compared to other Indian sweets, but it is relished and gifted extensively in India.
Kheer (Rice Pudding)
Kheer, also known as Payasam (Payas-Milk, Sanskrit) is a traditional South Asian sweet dish, made by boiling rice or broken wheat with milk and sugar, and flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, pistachios, almonds and other dry fruits. Kheer is simply rice pudding with spices and dry fruits.
For more information on India's most popular desserts, visit http://www.squidoo.com/indiandesserts