Facts about Indian Cuisine

India is the land of mysteries, romantic films and an unimaginable variety of spices. Indian cuisine is not similar to any other cuisine of the world: it has its own laws, century-old traditions, religious, cultural and even climatic features. Do you want to recreate the original national flavor and pamper your loved ones with exotic Indian dishes? Then we advise you to read 5 facts about Indian cuisine.

5 Interesting Facts Related To Indian Food

Country of a thousand spices

India can rightly be called a country of a thousand spices. For cooking any Indian dish, you will need to use a whole range of different spices, spices and seasonings. For Hindus, such a variety of spices remains one of the most effective ways of dealing with dangerous infections and diseases. After all, spicy seasonings help to preserve food despite the constant heat and high humidity.

Each region has its own cuisine

Different states of India use different languages, have different traditions and cook completely different dishes. The cuisine of South India is the spiciest. Most dishes are made from vegetables and / or rice: vegetable curry, samba, idli, yogurt, raita. The western states are located along the coast of the Arabian Sea, so fish and seafood predominate in the cuisine of these regions. Their dishes are not as spicy as in the south. Fish is often stewed, rarely – fried. Northern India – a paradise for lovers of lamb and all who are not used to overly spicy food. Meat dishes richly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices form the basis of the ration of residents of this part of the country. Biriyani rice, tandoori mutton (baked in a special oven and richly flavored with aromatic herbs), as well as gushtab – juicy meatballs with yogurt – are especially popular here. In the eastern states, traditional dishes are made from rice, fish and coconuts. Young bamboo shoots, which are fried or stewed with vegetables, and fragrant mustard oil are considered to be the highlight of the local cuisine.

The menu is determined by religion

The second criterion dividing Indian dishes into two opposing camps is religion. About 80% of Hindus profess Hinduism and are vegetarians. They rarely eat see fish, chicken or lamb, and never eat beef. After all, the cow was and remains a sacred animal for all Hindus. Unlike most vegetarians from other countries of the world, Hindus use dairy products. In the northern states, where Muslims constitute the majority of the population, pork is almost never used. The locals prefer poultry and lamb.

Rice is a universal garnish

Regardless of the state, city or even village, rice was and remains the main side dish for Hindus. Indian rice is often served on wide banana leaves, which play the role of a kind of plate. The ready-made rice is served with a sauce: vegetable or spicy. Most often, rice is served with curry – a special liquid sauce, which can be made from vegetables, fish or meat and always seasoned with many spices.

Flatbreads instead of bread

There is no “traditional bread” in India. Instead, the Indian cuisine offers a huge variety of unleavened flatbreads: made from wheat, rice or pea flour. Flatbreads and rice are the main side dish for most dishes. The dough is usually kneaded in water and baked on large stone circles or in the oven.

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