Culinary Habits of the
people from the Indian Sub-continent
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Indian food is not just curry.
The variety of Indian food is astounding. India is the ancient melting pot
just as America is the modern melting pot. India has many races, cultures
and religions quilted together to make a wonderful panorama of dialects,
food habits, costumes and habitat. Just like diversity brings strength to
America - the diverse peoples and their diverse culture and foods have
brought richness and depth to the Indian experience.
Armed with the basic ingredients like
basmati rice, lentils, Tandoori marinades, pickles, curry pastes, clarified
butter (ghee) and lentil crackers (Pappadums), spices like cumin and mustard
seeds, coriander, cayenne, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves
and whole red chills, Indian Cooking can be both delicious and healthy.
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Indian dishes have
different tastes, flavors and seasonings. To understand authentic menus the
following information may be helpful.
1. Most meals are vegetarian in India consisting of one, two or three
dishes with seasonal vegetables, a dal/lentil dish, yogurt (raitas), herbal
chutneys, pickles, papad, rice or freshly made unleavened flat breads to
scoop up the foods.
2. A non-vegetarian meal in India may consist of a dish of fish, meat or
chicken along with fresh bread such as chappati, rice, vegetables and dal. |
Indian Appetizer or Snack
Indian cuisine has rich array of appetizers, snacks or hors
d'oeuvres. Many of these are comparatively lower in fat than most western
appetizers which are heavy on butter and cheese.
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Alu Ki Tikki (Potato Patties) |
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Dahi Bara (Yogurt and Fritter) |
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Pakoras or Bhajyas (Deep-fried Fritters) |
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Samosa (Potato Stuffed Pastry) |
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Bhel puri (Crsipy Indian Snack) |
South Indian Food
The Malabar Coast in the South India is famous
for its spices of pungent aromas that lured many foreign invaders like the
Dutch, the French and the English. Cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
are some of the notable spices, which are found in abundance in the South. The
availability of coconut, fish and root tubers have influenced the culinary
creations of the South. Rice is the staple food for the people of South India
instead of wheat, which is more popular in northern states.
The very mentioning of the name of South India,
particularly Tamil Nadu, brings to ones mind the tastes of Idlis, dosas, Sambhar
and Vada. However, there are more than these that can treat the taste buds. Most
of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes of this region have a generous use
of spices and coconuts. The final tempering with oil, mustard seeds, curry
leaves, red chillies and urad dhal is almost the same for most of the dishes. In
Kerala, the staple food of the people is fish accompanied with steaming rice of
big size. Banana chips and jackfruit chips are the specialty snacks of this
state and most of the visitors make sure they have at least a few bags of these
items in their carry home luggage!
The Andhra cuisine has a great Mughal impact.
Their food is known for its spiciness and hotness. The kebabs and the Briyanis
are not to be missed. Home made pickles, pappads and dry chutney powders to be
used with dosa or idli or rice are the famous culinary traditions of this
region.
Punjabi Food
A typical Indian restaurant in the
United States serves a host of Punjabi food. Many non-Indian identify Punjabi
food with the Indian food. Punjabi food includes classic favorite such as
Tondori Chicken, Naan, parathas, Alu Tikki, Makke di Roti and Sarson ka Saag and
many more. Punjab a northwestern state of India is also known as 'the Land of
Milk and Honey' .
A typical Punjabi meal with consist
of roti, daal, yogurt and curried vegetable. Many Punjabi eat rice very
infrequently and only on special occasions. Punjabi meals usually have lot of
onion, tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, mustard, garlic, ginger cooked in pure cow
ghee. Milk is a very important part of Punjabi food in its many form such as
yogurt (dahi), lassi, paneer, makhan (white butter) and ghee.
In rural India, Punjabi food is
mostly served on "Dhaba". Dhaba is a usually self-service roadside food joint
that is frequented by truck drivers and travelers.
Indian
Dessert or Sweets
A light and
tasty pudding is not only for diabetics but for all those who are health
conscious and want to avoid sugar laden desserts. Low fat milk based recipes
like the one below has a wealth of nutrients like protein and calcium which is
extremely essential for the maintenance of healthy bones.
India
has a wide variety of desserts. Many popular Indian deserts such as Rasgula in
are common throughout South Asia while many other are local favorite are typical
to only an ethnic group in India.
Indian desserts can be divided
into two categories. First category is milk based such as Rasbari, Peda, Burfi
etc. The second category of Indian
dessert are based on flour such as Lal Mohan, Malpuwa, Halwa, Ladoo etc.