Indian cooking is not really that quick and easy. It is time consuming as a lot of taste comes out of marinating herbs, spices in addition to the main ingredient. The uniqueness of the Indian culture is characterized by a wide selection of cuisine and cooking techniques. Indian cooking differs from region to region which displays the tradition of the people in that region. Generally, Indian cuisine can be broken into four categories – North India, South India, West Indian and East Indian.
The Diversity of Indian Cooking
In spite of the distinctions in the cultures of these regions, there’s the similarity of the herbs and spices used in Indian cuisine. In addition to this, there’s the additional influences marked by other areas such as Central Asia, West Asia, and Europe.
Largely, Indians are vegetarians like the Hindus and Brahmins. The Brahmins are of the highest order in the caste system are very strict vegetarians. But along the coastal region are Brahmins which consume fish. These areas include the Kerala, Goa and West Bengal. In the southern region of India are the Tamil Nadu, they are also vegetarians. They probably are vegetarians because having meat on these areas is difficult because of the hot and humid environment. On the northern part of India are the ones who are identified to eat meat. This region is notably influenced by the moguls from central Asia. The region has an extreme climate which is the reason most of their cuisines are laced with many herbs and spices.
In the desert part of India, dals and pickles (preserved) are main staples in their diets to take the place of fresh vegetables and fruits. In the more humid and hot regions of southern India, tamarind is commonly used to add spice to their gravies. It is theorized that by having chili or sour cuisines can turn away the flu virus. Banana and yogurt are used to quench the chili food. Another staple ingredient in the southern part of India is the coconut most especially on the coastal areas. Cuisines in these areas have integrated fish and prawns to have coconut curries.
The common staple grain in all Indian cuisine is the fat parboiled rice. In the northern part, they just boil the rice whereas on the southern part they have special preparations for the rice. Their staple breakfast is the Dosa and idli. To produce this rice dish, the rice is powdered then steamed into a pudding by bamboo shoots. It can be eaten as a dessert together with sweetened coconut milk.
For sweets the West Bengal is known as a major source of sweets in India. The milk-based sweets meanwhile are common in the Eastern part of India. Much of the sweetened flavor cuisines though originate from West Bengal and where poppy seeds and sea foods are famous in this part of India.
There are various beverages in India like tea and coffee, though the difference is that liberal amounts of sugar are added. The “Nimbhu Pani” and the lassi are also beverages popular in the warmer regions. There are several alcoholic drinks in India but consuming them before family meals is considered taboo.
Indian cuisine is very unique, the religion, locale, traditions and taste makes it challenging to master. It’s not merely having an “English Rice” which is often pretty much the same across England. The Indian rice has many varieties like the jeera rice, pulao, biryani, vegetable-mixed rice and a great deal more.
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