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The finest of India's cuisines is
as rich and diverse as it's civilization. It is an art
form that has been passed on through generations purely
by word of mouth, from guru teacher) to vidhyarthi (pupil)
or from mother to daughter. The range assumes astonishing
proportions when one takes into account regional variations.
Very often the taste, colour, texture and appearance
of the same delicacy changes from state to state.
The hospitality of the Indians is legendary. In Sanskrit
Literature the three famous words 'Atithi Devo Bhava'
or 'the guest is truly your god' are a dictum |
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hospitality in India. Indians believe that they are
honoured if they share their mealtimes with guests.
Even the poorest look forward to guests and are willing
to share this meager food with guest. And of particular
importance is the Indian woman's pride that she will
not let a guest go away unfed or unhappy from her home.
Indians are known for their incredible ability to serve
food to their guests invited or uninvited.
Food customarily forms the crowning part of most festivities
and celebrations. Whatever the occasion Indians eat
with great gusto and are adept at finding reasons to
feast and make merry. At traditional and festive meals,
the thali (plate) or banana leaf is decorated with rangoli
(a design drawn with white and colored powders around
the edges).
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[Kashmiri] [Punjabi]
[Mughlai] [Bengali ]
[Maharashtrian] [Goan]
[Gujarati] [Rajasthani ]
[Hyderabadi ] |
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| Kashmiri |
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Kashmiri cuisine is essentially meat-based. Lamb, goat's
meat and chicken form the basis of many a famous dish.
It is flavored delicately with saffron and kashmiri chillies
which are not too spicy but impart a rich red colour to
the food.
The abundance of dry fruit like walnuts, dried dates,
and apricots also inspire the Kashmiri connoisseur to
use them lavishly in puddings, curries and snacks. Cottage
cheese or chaman as it is called, is also a popular accompaniment
to many meats and vegetables. Fresh water fish like trout
found in the numerous fresh water streams flowing down
from the Himalayas is also a delicacy.
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followed by a generous serving of fresh fruits like strawberries,
plums, cherries and apples which grow here and not all
over India due to the cool climate. |
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| Punjabi |
Punjabi people are robust people with robust appetites
and their food is like the Punjabis themselves, simple,
sizeable and hearty with no unnecessary frills or exotic
accompaniments. The Punjabi tandoori cooking is celebrated
as one of the most popular cuisines throughout the world.
Huge earthen ovens are half buried in the ground and heated
with a coal fire lit below it. Marinated meat, chicken,
fish, paneer, rotis and naans of many types are cooked
in this novel oven and the results are absolutely scrumptious! |
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Punjab has imbibed
some aspects of its cuisine from external influences.
Connoisseurs of the cuisine say that the gravy component
of Punjabi cuisine came from the Mughals. The most popular
example is the murg makhani. It served the state well
to combine this influence in its cooking since it had
a lot of pure ghee and butter. Murg makhani also provided
a balance to tandoori chicken, which was dry because it
was charcoal cooked. Nans and parathas, rotis made of
maize flour are typical Punjabi breads. Of course, over
the years the roti has been modified to add more variety,
so there is the rumali roti, the naan and the laccha parathas,
all cooked in the tandoor.
Winter, in Punjab, brings in the season of the famous
makki ki roti(maize flour bread) and sarson ka saag(mustard
leaf gravy). No meal is complete without a serving of
lassi( sweet or salted drink made with curd) or fresh
curd and white butter which is consumed in large quantities.
The other popular dishes, which belong exclusively to
Punjab, are ma ki dal, rajma (kidney beans) and stuffed
parathas. |
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| Mughlai |
Having reigned over India for so long, the Moghuls left
a deep and long lasting influence on Delhi's cuisine.
The Mughlai cuisine is literally 'fit for royalty'. With
it's rich sauces, butter-based curries, ginger flavoured
roast meats, and mind-blowing sweets, it has captured
the fancy of food lovers all over the world. From a tangy
shorba or soup to the rose petal strewn kulfi, Mughlai
food offers a rich fare that is irresistible. Although
available throughout the country, the best place to try
this royal cuisine is in Delhi. |
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| Bengali |
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Bengal's greatest contribution to the food heritage of
India is a magnificent spectrum of sweets made from burnt
milk and curd. 'Rasogullas', 'gulab jamuns', 'cham cham',
'malai sandwich', 'chena murki', 'anarkali', 'rajbhog'
- the list of mouth-watering delicacies is endless. 'Mishti
dhoi' or yoghurt sweetened with jaggery is a must in every
Bengali home. Guests are always welcomed with 'sandesh'
or sweets made from burnt milk and 'singadas' or crisp
samosas. |
Besides sweets, the Bengalis eat fish with great relish
and most of the popular Bengali dishes are made from fish.
A variety of styles are adopted to cook fish. They are
at times marinated in spices, at other times cooked in
curd. The cuisine of West Bengal differs from that of
Bangladesh in that the use of coconut in this cuisine
is much lesser and mustard oil is cooking medium instead
of coconut oil. The spices differ from those used in the
heartland of India, but are similar to those used in the
interiors of the East Coast.
The specialty of Bengali cooking is the use of panchphoron
i.e. five basic spices which include zeera, kalaunji,
saunf, fenugreek and mustard seeds. Generally, Bengali
food is a mixture of sweet and spicy flavors and dining
with these gentle people is a definate treat. |
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| Maharashtrian |
Maharashtrians are by and large, meat eaters. The cuisine
includes subtly flavoured vegetarian delicacies and hot,
aromatic meat and fish curries. Their crunchy, crisp sweets
are made mostly from rice and jaggery. The exotic 'Konkani'
and 'Malwani' cuisines also have their origins in the
coastal parts of this region and are sea-food based.
As in most of the other states of India, rice is the staple
food grain in Maharashtra too. Like the other coastal
states, there is an enormous variety of vegetables in
the regular diet and lots of fish and coconuts are used.
Grated coconuts spice many kinds of dishes, but coconut
oil is not very widely used as a cooking medium. Peanuts
and cashewnuts are widely used in vegetables and peanut
oil is the main cooking medium. Another feature is the
use of kokum, a |
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deep purple
berry that has a pleasing sweet and sour taste. Kokum,
most commonly used in an appetizer-digestive called the
sol kadhi, is served chilled. All non-vegetarian and vegetarian
dishes are eaten with boiled rice or with bhakris, which
are soft rotis made of rice flour. Special rice puris
called vada and amboli, which is a pancake made of fermented
rice, urad dal, and semolina, are also eaten as a part
of the main meal.
The most popular dessert of Maharashtra is the puran poli,
which is roti stuffed with a sweet mixture of jaggery
and gram flour and is made at the time of the Maharashtrian
New Year. Other popular sweets are the ukdiche modak (these
are served during the Ganesh festival), the panpole ras,
and the shreekhand. Shreekhand, a sort of thick yogurt
sweet dish, is a great favorite at weddings and the Dussehra
festival. Flavored with cardamom powder and saffron, this
aromatic dish is served with piping hot puris. |
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| Goan |
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Famous for it's distinctive cuisine, Goa can boast of
delicacies like the tangy pork 'vindaloo', spicy 'sorpotel'
and the ever popular Goan fish curry with rice. Goa's
luscious coconut and fish based dishes draw in people
from all over the world. Goans often accompany their meal
with one of their innumerable local wines or the local
liqueur called 'Feni'.
Goan food is simple but one has to bear in mind that most,
though not all, of it |
is chili hot,
spicy, and pungent. Rice, fish, and coconut are the basic
components of the typical Goan food platter. Delicacies
made from these three items can be expected in nearly
every Goan meal. Besotted with seafood, the Goans find
truly world-class prawns, lobsters, crabs, and jumbo pomfrets
along the coastline and use them to make a variety of
soups, salads, pickles, curries, and fries. An essential
ingredient in Goan cooking is coconut milk made by grating
the white flesh of a coconut and soaking it in a cup of
warm water. Equally important is the ‘kokum’, a sour,
deep red colored fruit that gives it a sharp and sour
flavor. The famous red Goan chilies are also a must for
most dishes, as is tamarind. Goans make their own version
of vinegar from toddy. Then there are innumerable chutneys
that are typical of the state.
Goa is not particularly known for its vegetarian dishes.
While Hindus like lamb and chicken, Christians prefer
pork. However, both prefer fish and seafood to any other
meat. Pork is a must for any festive occasion in Goa and
the most famous preparation is the vindaloo. It is a spicy
concoction, lots of red chilies, garlic, cooked with chunks
of pork, Goa vinegar, and hard palm jaggery and is best
enjoyed with plain boiled rice. Another mouth-watering
delicacy made of pork is the sarpotel. A curry with a
thick gravy to the layman, this exotic concoction comprises
boneless pork, liver, heart, kidneys, red chilies, cinnamon,
cloves bathed in tangy toddy vinegar, which is needed
to balance the strong taste of pig’s blood: another traditional
ingredient of this revered dish.
For those with a sweet tooth, Goan cuisine offers the
famous bebinca. The extract of coconut milk is added to
flour, sugar, and other delectable ingredients are used
to make this delicacy. Each scrumptious layer has to be
baked before the next one is added, though not many people
nowadays have the time to make the traditional 16 layers.
Even so, a good bebinca is a mouth-melting dream. Other
sweets include a soft jaggery flavored fudge called dodol
made from finger-licking palm-sap jaggery, rice flour
and coconut; the crispy delicate rose-a-coque that are
flower-like waffles and can be eaten alone or drenched
with cream or honey; the curled and sugared kulkuls spiraled
around the tines of forks and deep-fried as Christmas
goodies and Easter eggs known as ovos da pascoa. Similarly,
during the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, cone-shaped
dumplings called modaks are a favourite fare.< |
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| Gujarati |
Gujaratis have truly perfected the art of vegetarian cooking.
From the simplest lentils and vegetables, they create
a mouth-watering variety of food. Gujarat is known as
the land of milk and butter. Predictably so, yoghurt and
buttermilk are a part of the Gujarati's daily diet. While
in Gujarat, a 'thali' dinner - literally meaning a meal
served on a silver platter- is a delight you must not
miss. An endless procession of fresh vegetables cooked
in aromatic spices, a variety of crisp, fried snacks and
an array of delectable confections typically appear in
the 'thali'.
In Gujarat, during winter when green vegetables are available
in plenty, a delicious vegetable concoction called undhyoo
is made using potato, brinjal, and green beans amongst
several other vegetables.
The main dish of gujarati cuisine is the khichdi, a simple
lentil and rice mixture. It is eaten with kadhi, a savory
curry made with yogurt using bay leaves, ginger, chilies
and finely chopped vegetables as garnishing, onions and
pickle.
Using the same lentils and rice, Kutchi kitchens produce
delectable items like the khaman dhokla, a salty steamed
cake made from chickpea flour; doodha pak, sweet, thickened
milk confectioned with nuts, and srikhand, a dessert made
of yogurt, flavored with saffron, cardamom, nuts and candied
fruit which is eaten with hot, fluffy pooris. These three
delicacies have made their way into the favorites list
of the rest of India too and can be found in restaurants
all over the country. |
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| Rajasthani |
The ancient princely state of Rajasthan gave rise to a
royal cuisine. The Rajas who went on hunting expeditions
ate the meat or the fowl that they brought back. Even
today, Rajasthani princely feasts flaunt meat delicacies
that are incomparable.
In contrast are the vegetarian Rajasthanis. Their food
cooked in pure ghee is famous for it's mouth- watering
aroma. Rajasthani cooking was also influenced by both
the war-like lifestyles of its inhabitants and the availability
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ingredients
in the desert region. Food that could last for several
days and could be eaten without heating was preferred,
more out of necessity than choice. Scarcity of water and
lack of fresh green vegetables also had their effect on
Rajasthani cooking.
Dried lentils and beans from indigenous plants like sangri,
ker etc. are staples of the Rajasthani diet, as wheat
and rice do not grow very well in the desert land. Gram
flour is an integral cooking ingredient and is used to
make delicacies and so are powdered lentils. Bajra and
corn are used all over the state for making rotis and
other varieties of bread. In Rajasthan, bajre ki roti
(millet bread) and lahsun ki chutney (hot garlic paste)
combined with spring onions are the staple diet of the
locals as these are believed to be safeguards against
the hot winds. In the desert belt of Jaisalmer, Barmer
and Bikaner, cooks still use very little water and instead
use milk, buttermilk and clarified butter as alternatives.
The balance to using these milk products is provided by
the appropriate use of digestives, especially asafetida,
black rock salt, ginger and ajwain. The favored spices
are fenugreek seeds, kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
and aniseed. A distinct feature of the Maheshwari cooking
is the use of mango powder, a suitable substitute for
tomatoes, scarce in the desert, and asafetida, to enhance
the taste in the absence of garlic and onions. |
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| Hyderabadi |
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The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is reputedly the spiciest
and hottest of all Indian cuisine. The cuisine includes
both the original Andhra cooking and the Hyderabadi cuisine
with its Mughlai influence. It is the former which is
red hot.
The vegetables and greens are prepared with various different
masalas giving the same vegetable different flavours.
Traditional Andhra cuisine also has many non-vegetarian
dishes which are also spicy and unique in taste. |
| Hyderabadi cuisine
is rich and aromatic with a liberal use of exotic spices
and ghee, not to speak of nuts and dry fruits. Lamb is
the most widely used meat in the non-vegetarian dishes.
The biryanis (flavoured rice with meat or vegetables)
is one of the most distinct Hyderabadi food.
How to plan your tours: We are pioneer travel agents and
tour operators from Delhi/Bombay offer special interest
tours as desired by you. Here are option for our tailor
made tours. Visit at our itineraries: http://www.india-tourism.net/itineraries.htm
to chalk out your tour plan or you may write us… your
choice of destinations to design a tour for you with
travel period and budget to: sales@india-tourism.net
Note:
If you are interested to import
food products from India, we can coordinate with Indian
foods exporters being a handling agents for your company
in India, as we have our associates who are exporting
food products to overseas markets. |
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