Indian cuisine

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Indian cuisine

Preparation techniques and cooking items

Utensils

Regional cuisines

North India

Punjabi – Mughlai – Rajasthani –
Kashmiri – Bhojpuri – Benarasi – Bihari

South India

Kerala – Tamil – Andhra –
Karnataka

East India

Bengali – Assamese – Oriya –
North Eastern

West India

Goa – Gujarati – Maharashtrian –
Malvani – Parsi

Other

Overseas – Historical – Jain (Satvika) –
Anglo-Indian – Chettinad – Fast food

Ingredients and types of food

Main dishes – Sweets and desserts –
Drinks – Snacks – Spices –
Condiments

[edit] Staple ingredients and spices

Spices used in Indian cuisine

The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (whole wheat flour), and at least five dozen varieties of pulses, the most important of which are chana (bengal gram), toor (pigeon pea or red gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram). Chana is used in different forms, may be whole or processed in a mill that removes the skin, eg dhuli moong or dhuli urad, and is sometimes mixed with rice and khichri (a food that is excellent for digestion and similar to the chick pea, but smaller and more flavorful). Pulses are used almost exclusively in the form of dal, except chana, which is often cooked whole for breakfast and is processed into flour (besan). Most Indian curries are fried in vegetable oil. In North India, mustard oil is traditionally been most popular for frying, while in Western India, groundnut oil is more commonly used. In South India, coconut oil is common. In recent decades, sunflower oil and soybean oil have gained popularity all over India. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, known as Vanaspati ghee is also a popular cooking medium.

The most important spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, coriander and asafoetida (hing). Another very important spice is garam masala which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices, commonly comprised of cardamom, cinnamon and clove. Some leaves are commonly used like bay leaf, coriander leaf and mint leaf. The common use of curry leaves is typical of South Indian cuisine. In sweet dishes, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron and rose petal essence are used.

[edit] Regional differences

[edit] North Indian cuisine

North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the use of dairy products—such as milk, paneer (cottage cheese), ghee (clarified butter), yoghurt and wheat. The gravies of North Indian cooking are typically dairy-based and usually contain pastes of cashew and poppy seeds making them rich and thick. Milk-based sweets are a huge favourite too and are a specialty of Bengal and Orissa. Other common ingredients include chillies, saffron and nuts.

Northern Indian cooking features the use of the tandoor for the baking of breads such as the naan and Khakhra, and the cooking of such meat dishes as tandoori chicken. Fish and seafood are very popular in the coastal states of Orissa and West Bengal.

Another important feature on North Indian cuisine are flat breads. These come in many different forms such as naan, paratha, roti, puri, bhatoora, kulcha.

The samosa is a typical north Indian snack. These days it is common to get it in other parts of India as well. The most common (and authentic) samosa is filled with boiled, fried and mashed potato. However, sometimes one can get various other fillings as well.

North Indian cuisine has some typical details that are interesting. There are popular things like Buknu, Gujhiya, chaat, daal ki kachauri, jalebi, imarti, several types of pickles (known as achar), murabba, sharbat, pana, aam papad, Poha-Jalebi (from Indore) .

There are several popular sweets (mithai) like mallai ki gillori, khurchan (from Mathura), petha (from Agra), rewdi (from Lucknow), gajak (from Meerut), milk cake (from Alwar), falooda, khaja (from Aligarh), Ras Malai, Gulab Jamun, Laddu, Barfi, Halwa, Gul Qand, Balusahi.

The countries known as Pakistan and Bangladesh were a part of northern and eastern India prior to the Partition of India. As a result, the cuisines in these countries are very similar to northern and eastern Indian cuisine.

[edit] South Indian cuisine

Main article: South Indian cuisine

Lunch from Karnataka served on a plantain leaf. See Image for extended descriptions.

South Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the liberal use of coconut and curry leaves particularly coconut oil, and the ubiquity of sambar and rasam (also called saaru) at meals.

South Indian cooking is even more vegetarian-friendly than north Indian cooking. The practice of naivedya, or ritual offerings, to Krishna at the Krishna Mutt temple in Udipi, Karnataka, has led to the Udipi style of vegetarian cooking. The variety of dishes which must be offered to Krishna forced the cooks of the temple to innovate. Traditional cooking in Udupi Ashtamatha is characterized by the use of local seasonal ingredients. Garam masala is generally avoided in South indian cuisine.

The vada, bonda, and bajji are typical South Indian snacks.

[edit] Beverages

Tea (in Hindi: chai) enjoys heavy popularity throughout the nation, with the finest varieties grown in the northern regions of Darjeeling and Assam. It is generally prepared as masala chai, by boiling together with milk and spices. Coffee is less popular, being enjoyed mainly in South India, and the finest variety of Arabica coffee beans are grown around Mysore, Karnataka, and marketed under the brand name Mysore Nuggets. Other beverages include nimbu pani (lemonade), lassi, and coconut water. India also has many indigenous alcoholic beverages, including toddy, Fenny and Indian beer.

[edit] Etiquette

Main article: Etiquette of Indian Dining

Several customs are associated with the way in which food is consumed. Traditionally, meals are eaten while sitting on the floor or on very low stools, sometimes on a cushion, eating with the fingers of the right hand.

[edit] History

C. 7000 BCE, sesame, eggplant and humped cattle had been domesticated in the Indus Valley.^[1]

By 3000 B.C. turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and mustard were harvested in India.^{[citation needed]}

In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, grain, meat, fish, dairy products and honey.^{[citation needed]} Over time, the priestly Brahmin caste embraced vegetarianism,^{[citation needed]} which is facilitated by a cooperative climate where a variety of fruits and vegetables can easily be grown throughout the year.

According to the traditional Indian medical system Ayurveda, food is either satvic, rajasic or tamasic depending on its character and effect upon the body and the mind.[1]

Over the centuries Indian cuisine has been influenced by traders such as the Arabs and Chinese, and conquerors such as the Persians, Mongols, Turks, British and Portuguese.

Islamic rule introduced rich gravies, pilafs and non-vegetarian fare such as kebabs, resulting in Mughlai cuisine (Mughal in origin), as well as such fruits as apricots, melons, peaches and plums. The Mughals were great patrons of cooking. Lavish dishes were prepared during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The Nizams of Hyderabad state meanwhile developed and perfected their own style of cooking with the most notable dish being the Biryani, often considered by many connoiseurs to be the finest of the main dishes in India. During this period the Portuguese introduced foods from the New World such as potatoes, tomatoes, squash and chillies.

In the last century, the Indian fast food industry has seen rapid growth.

[edit] Indian food abroad

Chicken Tikka Masala

Britain has a particularly strong tradition of Indian cuisine that originates from the British Raj. At this time there were a few Indian restaurants in the richer parts of London that catered to British officers returning from their duties in India.

In the 20th century there was a second phase in the development of Anglo-Indian cuisine, as families from countries such as Bangladesh migrated to London to look for work. Some of the earliest such restaurants were opened in Brick Lane in the East End of London, a place that is still famous for this type of cuisine.

In the 1960s, a number of inauthentic "Indian" foods were developed, including the widely popular "chicken tikka masala". This tendency has now been reversed, with subcontinental restaurants being more willing to serve authentic Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani food, and to show their regional variations. In the late twentieth century Birmingham was the centre of growth of Balti houses, serving a newly developed style of cooking in a large, wok-like, pan, with a name sometimes attributed to the territory of Baltistan, (however, the Hindi word for bucket is also Balti). Indian food is now integral to the British diet: indeed it has been argued that Indian food can be regarded as part of the core of the British cuisine. ^{[citation needed]}

After the Immigration Act of 1965, South Asian immigration to the United States increased, and with it the prevalence of Indian cuisine, especially in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, the New York City neighborhoods of Murray Hill, Jackson Heights and East 6th Street, and in Edison, NJ. In many Indian restaurants in the U.S., all-you-can-eat buffets with several standard dishes have become the norm.

Indian restaurants are common in the larger cities of Canada, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver where large numbers of Indian nationals have settled since 1970. A number of the more adventurous restaurants have transformed their offerings into so-called Indian "fusion" menus, combining fresh local ingredients with traditional Indian cooking techniques.

Due to a large population of Indians in South Africa, the cuisine of South Africa includes a number of Indian dishes, some unique to South Africa, like the Bunny chow. Many other Indian dishes are modified with spices of local origin.

Indian restaurants can also be found in many Continental European cities (particularly Paris), for instance indian restaurant in istanbul : Musafir Indian Restaurant Istanbul and in Australia.

[edit] Media

Preparation of a Dosa (file info)
- A colour film with sound showing a plain dosa being prepared. (2.5MB, ogg/Theora format).
Problems seeing the videos? See media help.