Indian Food

Indian Food is measured as one of the world's most diverse cuisines with its broad range of dishes and cooking recipes. With classy and fine use of many spices and herbs, Indian food differs from area to area, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse subcontinent. But regardless of this diversity, some uniting threads come out in the art of Indian cuisine.

The Food of India has also have charm of West Asia, Central Asia and Europe. Most of the Indian dishes are vegetarian that include the elements like rice, atta( whole wheat flour) and also range of pulses which are bengal gram (chana), lentil (masoor), green gram (mung), urad, and yellow gram (toor). In addition, Indian non-vegetarian dishes include chicken, fish, goat, lamb and other meats. Beef is not eaten by most Hindus, while ham and pork are not consumed by Muslims.

Commonly, Indian food can be divided into four categories: North Indian, South Indian, East Indian, and West Indian. But, whether the North India food or South India, food is prepared by using spices munificently and every single spice used in Indian dishes carries some or the other nutritional as well as medicinal properties.

North India Food

North Indian Food involves chapatis or rotis and rice as staples, eaten with a wide variety of side dishes like dals, curries, yogurt, chutney and achars. To start with Kashmir, Kashmiri food is meat based and contain heavy dose of spices, condiments and curds and dishes like Rista , Tabak Maaz , Rogan Josh are famous in the state. 

For Punjab there is no need for introduction, Makki di Roti with Sarson ka Saag and famous Punjabi Lassi is renowned in whole India. In the other states like the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh chapattis or rotis are mostly used as staple food. Again, these chapatis are prepared with a variety of flours such as wheat, rice, maida, besan etc. Besides chapatis other closely related breads baked in these regions include Tandoori, Rumaali and Naan etc. However in the northern region impact of Mughlai food is quite obvious. With the generous use of spices, sausages, dry-fruits and butter, Mughlai food is produces lip smacking dishes like Roasted in tandoors, yummy Tandoori Chicken and Seekh Kebab.

West Indian Food

The western India food is an assortment of delicious and tasty dishes and the desert cuisines of this side are famous for its unique taste and varieties of food. Rajasthan and Gujarat are the states that represent the dessert flavor of Indian food. Here an immense variety of dals and achars (pickles/preserves) is used that simply substitutes the relative lack of fresh vegetables in these areas.

In the states like Maharashtra, the food is extremely versatile. Presence of multifarious communities in the state has helped Maharashtra to be innovating in recipes and rich in variety. Here people use both the rice and the wheat with same interest. Along the coastline of Mumbai a wide variety of fishes is available. Some of the delicious preparations include dishes like the Bombay Prawn and Pomfret.

In Goa, one can notice Portuguese influence in the cooking style as well as in the dishes. Some of the major dishes of this region are the sweet and sour Vindaloo, duck baffad, sorpotel and egg molie etc. Recipes of chickens, prawns, fish, pork and even pastries of this land of beaches are simply awesome.

East Indian Food

In the eastern India, the Bengali and Assamese styles of cooking are noticeable. Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa are the magical mix of seeds used for tempering dishes. Known as 'Panch Phoran', the mix consists of aniseed, mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed and black cumin seed.

The staple food of Bengalis is the yummy combination of rice and fish. Usually the Bengalis love eating varieties of fishes. A special way of preparing the delicacy known as 'Hilsa' is by wrapping it in the pumpkin leaf and then cooking it. Another unusual ingredient that is commonly used in the Bengali cooking is the 'Bamboo Shoot'. Various sweets prepared in this region, by using milk include the 'Roshogollas', 'Sandesh', 'Cham-cham' and many more.

South Indian Food

In the southern India, the states make great use of spices, fishes and coconuts, as most of them have coastal kitchens. Rice is the staple diet for all in this zone as compared to wheat in the north. Most people practice vegetarianism. Rice, lentils, grains and vegetables accompanied by chutneys, pickles and papaddams (papads) form the standard meal of the people.

In the foods of Tamil Nadu use of tamarind is frequently made in order to impart sourness to the dishes. It simply distinguishes the Tamil Food from other cuisines.The cooking style of Andhra Pradesh is supposed to make excessive use of chilies, which is obviously to improve the taste of the dishes.

In Kerala, some of the delicious dishes are thelamb stew and appams, Malabar fried prawns, Idlis, Dosas, fish molie and rice puttu. Another famous item of this region is the sweetened coconut milk. Yet another dish is Puttu, which is glutinous rice powder steamed like a pudding in a bamboo shoot.