Indian Culinary Journey

Indian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines across the globe and it would not be wrong to say that if food is an adventure for you, then a tour of India would be an adventure of a lifetime! Indian food is not just curry rather the range of cuisine can amaze even a connoisseur.
Indians love their food. Food is a big deal! Even everyday meals are mostly sit-down affairs and comprise of two to three main course dishes, bread (roti, naan) and rice along with accompaniments like pickles, chutneys and papadums, along with a sweet dish.
Indian cuisine, has six distinctive tastes – sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent. A well balanced Indian meal achieves this through the use of numerous spice combinations and depth of flavor in Indian recipes. The art of preparing authentic Indian Food does not involve an overdose of spices, but the delicacy and mixing of right spices in right quantities. When it is hot, spices such as chili peppers and garlic help the body sweat and cool it down. In colder weather, spices such as cloves, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg help warm the body.
Throughout history India has been invaded and occupied by other cultures and each has left its own mark on Indian cuisine. Some of the predominant influences have been:
Aryan – which focused on the mind-, body-enhancing properties of foods;
Persian and Arab – which led to the Mughal style of cooking with rich, thick gravies and the use of dry fruits like cashews and almonds in dishes;
British – which gave India its love of tea and put the European twist into some dishes. Anglo-Indian cuisine was the delicious result;
Portuguese – which left its mark on parts of India in the form of dishes like the world-renowned Vindaloo and Xacuti.
What Indians eat varies by region and religion. Northern Indians eat more flat breads, while those from southern India prefer rice. In coastal states, such as Kerala and Bengal, fish dishes are popular. Chicken and mutton (sheep) are eaten more often in mountain and plains regions. While many Hindus avoid eating beef, Muslims avoid pork. In addition, many Indians—particularly Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains—are vegetarian.
Food from North India is characterized by its thick gravies and Northern Indians tend to use their spices ground. Chillies, saffron, milk, yoghurt, cottage cheese, ghee and nuts are common ingredients. Milk based sweets are a huge favorite too.
North Indian food traces its descent from Persian and the Mughals. The Mughals brought with them Persian and Afghan cooks who started North Indians on the rich and fragrant Persian rice dishes, such as pilafs and biryanis (meat-based pilafs, spicy kormas (braised meat in creamy sauces), koftas (grilled spicy meatballs) and kababs.
Rice is the primary constituent of Southern Cuisine. In the South, the most common ingredients are pepper, tamarind and coconut and food is often even cooked in coconut oil. With the hot, humid climate and abundant rain this area has a steady supply of fresh fruit, vegetables and rice. Like other parts food has a lot of variety here . Andhra cuisine is largely vegetarian but has a huge range of seafood . Chettinad cuisine from Tamilnadu has lots of spices and is very hot. Kerala with it’s Malabari cooking, is a world full of tasty seafood dishes. Hyderabadi food known for it’s regal Nizami cuisne, is full of nuts, dried fruits and exotic, expensive spices like Saffron.
Eastern India also gets heavy rainfall so rice is the major crop. Because of India’s long coastline, seafood is quite popular here. Rice and Fish are very popular in the coastal state of West Bengal. Also a lot of mustard is used in various dishes. The food here does not use too many spices and the preparation is also not elaborate. Steaming and frying are popular methods of cooking. The coastal areas use a lot of fish whereas the inland areas are known for their love for pork. Eastern India is also known for it’s love for sweets and desserts.
Western region also has a lot of diversity in food. Rajasthani food is spicy and largely vegetarian but does include non vegetarian dishes while Gujarat’s cuisine is know for its slight sweet touch (a little jaggery/raw sugar is added to most dishes!) and is traditionally entirely vegetarian. Coastal areas along Maharasthra are famous for fresh coconut-based hot and sour curries with fish and seafood while the rest of the state uses a lot of dry coconut. Goan food is rich, piquant and strongly flavored by coconut, red chillies and vinegar, which effectively mixes local Konkan and Portuguese (who ruled this area for two centuries) flavors.

FOOD TIPS FOR EATING OUT
¤ Tourists visiting India should always be aware of the Climatic conditions and seasons while indulging in Indian Cuisine.
¤ Always eat out in a hygienic and reputed eating joint whether big or small.
¤ During the rainy season it is best to avoid roadside or street food which is not as hygienic as in house food and always take care not to have food exposed to moisture, flies or kept uncovered.
¤ Every Five Star Hotel has an In-house Indian Restaurant serving the Indian delicacies, so one should go for them. Other than these there are many reputed Indian Restaurants catering to Authentic Indian Cuisine.

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Indian Mosaic is an exclusive travel company specializing in high quality personalized trips to India. Indian Mosaic tours are customized, created for astute travelers who expect the highest levels of service, luxury and attention to detail right from the planning stage till the completion of the trip. Each day’s itinerary is tailored to personal interests, pace, travel preferences and schedule with an expert personal guide and a driver in each destination.

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