Indian Culinary Institute, Noida: Religious Sweets, Rituals, History

Indian Culinary Institute, Noida
Culinary product of India Notes (MBA in Culinary Arts) 1 | P a g e
Culinary Product of India Notes
Table of Contents
Religious sweets of India................................................................................................................ 2
Religious Festive Sweets. ........................................................................................................... 3
Indian Food Rituals......................................................................................................................... 4
Historical Description of Food........................................................................................................ 5
Indian Food Festivals.................................................................................................................... 16
Importance of Food Fest ........................................................................................................... 17
Ayurvedic Food of India…........................................................................................................... 19
Ayurvedic Diet:......................................................................................................................... 20
Vedic Food.................................................................................................................................... 21
Different Food Products in Vedic Period.................................................................................. 22
The Golden Principles of Vedic Food Culture ......................................................................... 22
Ancient cooking equipment of India............................................................................................. 23
Introduction of Cooking Utensils.............................................................................................. 23
SPICES ......................................................................................................................................... 27
1. The Basic Spices................................................................................................................... 27
2. Complementary Spices ......................................................................................................... 28
3. Aromatics or Secondary Spices ............................................................................................ 29
Andhra Pradesh............................................................................................................................. 29
Assam............................................................................................................................................ 33
Assam Culinary Delight............................................................................................................ 41
West Bengal Culinary Delight...................................................................................................... 44
Street Food............................................................................................................................... 44
Culinary Delights of Chhattisgarh ................................................................................................ 52
Introduction............................................................................................................................... 52
Cuisine of Chhattisgarh –.......................................................................................................... 52
Bhajis of Chhattisgarh............................................................................................................... 54
Delights of the Chhattisgarh-.................................................................................................... 55
Delhi Food Delights...................................................................................................................... 61

Haryanvi Food Delights:............................................................................................................... 66
Tamil Nadu Culinary Delight ....................................................................................................... 68
Malabar Parota...................................................................................................................... 69
Palada Payasam......................................................................................................................... 70
Thalassery Biryani .................................................................................................................... 70
Ada Pradhaman......................................................................................................................... 70
Erissery ..................................................................................................................................... 71
Lucknow Culinary Delight ........................................................................................................... 71
Rajasthan Culinary Delight........................................................................................................... 76
1. Dal Bati Churma: ........................................................................................................... 76
2. Mawa Kachori: ................................................................................................................. 77
4. Laal Maas:.......................................................................................................................... 77
UP Delights................................................................................................................................... 78
Religious sweets of India
Introduction.
- Indian food encompasses wide variety of religious cuisines native to India.
- Due to range of diversity in soil, climate, occupation these cuisines vary.
- It is also influenced by religious & cultural choices and tradition.
- It consists of thousands of religious cuisines and was influenced by U.K.
- Each family includes wide variety of dishes and techniques.
- It has been influenced by 5000-year history of various groups and cultures.
RELIGIOUS CONCEPT…
- Religious is a social- cultural system.
- It is a social cultural system of designated behaviours and practices.
- It relates to Humanity.
- System who belief in God.
- Worship of something.
- A set of values, beliefs, practices based on teachings of a spiritual leader.
RELIGIONS OF INDIA.
- Hinduism
- Buddhism

- Jainism
- Sikhism
Religious Importance of Sweets.
- It talks about the religious dishes; it means cuisines or sweets related to sweets.
- Indian sweets are synonymous with festive occasions.
- No festival or ceremony is complete without sweets.
- Diwali is one of the examples.
- There is no particular time of having sweets in India.
- Every good news is always accompanied with sweets
- Sweets and religious ceremonies ‘go hand in hand’.
For ex: Modak are commonly known as lord Ganesh as favourite sweet made on Ganesh
Chaturthi.
Religious Festive Sweets.
(1.) LOHRI: Lohri is a Punjabi folk festival celebrated by Sikhs and Hindus in every year of
January.
It is a celebration of winter solstice.
Many sweets are as:
* Kheer
* Revari
* Til gajak
(2.) HOLI: Holi is a festival of colours.
It starts on nights before Holi with Holika dahan.
Some religious sweets are as:
* Gujia
* Puran Poli
* Malpua
(3.) NEW YEAR: New year is celebrated in India under different names. Following are as:
* Vishnu in Kerala: It is celebrated with payasam.
* It is made on all Hindu festivals.
* It is a ‘prasad’ offered in temples.
(4.) JANAMASTHMI: It is the birthplace/ anniversary of Lord Krishna.

* Also known as Gokulashami.
* Various celebrations are Dahi handi.
* Religious dishes are as:
* Kheer
* Nariyal ka ladoo
* Khus or gond ki panjeeri
(5.) GANESH CHATURTHI: It is the anniversary of Lord ganesha and is celebrated with great
gusto in Maharashtra.
* One of famous religious dessert is MODAK.
* It is Indian sweet made with filling of grated coconut and jaggery and outside is rice flour.
* It can be fried or steamed.
Indian Food Rituals
Start with spice and end with sweet
Spices activates the digestive juices which are acidic in nature whereas sweets are basic and helps
in cutting down spices.
Sitting on the floor and eating
Helps in improving digestion so that circulatory system can focus solely on digestion.
Eating with hands
Said to be sensory.
Evokes emotions.
Thumb – space
Index finger – air
Middle finger – fire
Ring finger – water
Little finger - earth
Serving food on banana leaf
Leaf contains large number of polyphenols – natural antioxidant.

Offering food to god
- Respect
- Devotion
- Considered as a sacrifice
Use of copper vessels
Copper destroys undesirable viruses.
Kills E- coli bacteria.
Indian thali system
A wholesome meal.
- Balanced meal.
- E.g. South Indian thali, Rajasthani Thali, Gujrati Thali, North- Indian Thali.
Fasting
- Ancient Indian medical practice.
- Regular cleansing of toxic materials in the body.
Historical Description of Food
Fusion and Food
Today every very well-known Indian dish is the product of a long history of invasion and the
fusion of different food traditions.
The food that we Indians have been eating has been, over the millennia, steadily evolving both in
variety and taste.
The food habits and preferences of Indians have changed in stages over the last 4000 years, from
the Indus Valley days through the Vedic times and after the influence of Buddhist and Jain thought,
and their impact on the Dharma Sutras and Arthasastra of around 300 BC, to Mughals, Europeans
and British.
Indus Valley Civilization:
At the various sites in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa we have found wheat and barley.
They were also familiar with chickpea, Masur dal and horsegram, Chana.
They were also familiar with fruits like pomegranate, coconuts and banana.
Wheat was used by making into stew, soup or flat bread called chappati.

Food in Indus Valley
Around 7000 BCE, sesame, eggplant and humped cattle had been domesticated in the Indus
Valley.
By 3000 BCE, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and mustard were harvested in India.
Coming of Aryans
Coming of Aryans also did not change the food structure of India.
Whereas the Harappan civilization was an essentially urban one, the Vedic was agricultural,
pastoral and Philosophical, keenly alive to the forces within and without that effect human
equanimity and comfort.
A prayer from the Yajurveda, composed about 800 B.C. reads like this, “May for me prosper,
through the sacrifice, milk, sap, ghee, honey, eating and drinking at the common table, ploughing,
rains, conquest, victory, wealth, riches. May for me prosper, through the sacrifice, low grade food,
freedom from hunger, rice, barley sesame, kidney beans, vetches, wheat, lentils, millets, panicum
grains and wild rice. May for me prosper, through the sacrifice, trees, plants that which grows in
ploughed land and that which grows in unploughed land”
Cereals
The Rig Veda mentions neither rice, nor wheat but only barley.
The Yajurveda mentions all the three besides panicum cereal, oil seed and pulses such asmasha
(urad), masura (masoor), mudga (mung) and Kalya (matar).
Milk and Milk products
Cattle were an integral part of the Vedic culture. There is a lot of reference to the milk of cows,
though that of the buffalo and goat also finds mention.
Dadhi (present dahi) or curds was eaten with rice, barley or Soma Juice. Curd folded into fresh
milk constituted a popular drink, the solid portion being termed as amishka and the liquid portion
as vajina.
Shikarini, the modern Shrikhand, using strained curds, crystal sugar and fragrant herbas was used.
The solid part of the cow ghee was called manda.
Butter milk was in wide use and it was turned into seasoned dish called saga.
The Aryans
- Ancient Indians were good farmers.
- They cultivated barley wheat rice, melons and cotton and kept their crops in a central
storage in each city.
- They kept cow, pigs, buffalo and sheep.
- They lived in banks of rivers and fish were caught from river with fish hooks.

Food till the period of Aryans
They ate both vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Their main food was products of wheat served
with barley or rice along with fish or meat.
Vegetarian food (strictly excluding animal and fish meat) became the norm for as much as half of
the population after the coming of Buddhism.
Food Ethos
Food to the Aryans was not simply a means of bodily sustenance, it was part of a cosmic moral
cycle.
The Taitttiriya Upanishad states, From earth sprang herbs, from herbs food, from food seed, from
seed man……..Man thus consists of the essence of food….from food are all creatures produced,
by food do they grow…The self consists of food, of breath, of mind, of understanding , of bliss.”
The Bhagvad Gita also states, from food do all creatures come into being. Hence in the great Aryan
cosmic cycle, the eater, the food he eats and the Universe must all be in harmony.
Eating and cooking practices and rules of pollution
It was during this period that the concept of pollution became intimately woven to the cooking and
eating practice.
It would be unthinkable for a cook or house wife to taste any dish during the course of its
preparation.
Water must never be sipped from a tumbler but poured into the mouth from above since one’s own
saliva is polluting.
Water used for rinsing the mouth must be caste out never swallowed.
In many rituals sprinkling of water has a strong connotation of purification on the leaf before
eating.
The Buddhist Period
Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism crystallized out of a Hindu matrix. In terms of food and food
practices they had many features in common with the Hindu ethos but also some distinct elements.
In the Lankavatra Sutra, Buddha is recorded as saying, I enjoy the taking of food made out of rice,
barley, wheat, mudga, maha, masura and other grains, ghee,oil of seasum, honey, molassess, sugar,
fish, eggs and others which are full of soul qualities but devoid of faults, they were consumed by
the Aryans and by the rishis of yore”.
Monks were advised to eat solid foods only between sunrise and noon and nothing between noon
and sunrise the next day as this would subdue passion and lead to spiritual strength.
Buddha himself favoured non injury and was strongly opposed to ritual sacrifice, yet even he
permitted his followers animal flesh on occasions if the killing had been unintentional.

Mauryans
By 300 B.c. with the coming of Mauryan, many people became vegetarians though eating of meat
not given up completely.
Strong philosophy that animal sacrifices added to your karma and did not relieve you from cycle
of reincarnation.
The emperor Ashoka in his edicts not only preached non killing powerfully but himself practiced
it. The Girnar stones in Gujarat state, no living being may be slaughtered for sacrifice, no festive
gathering may be held. Formerly slaughtering in the Kings kitchen was great, now it has almost
been stopped”.
Guptas
By 650 A.D. worship of mother goddess came into prevalence.
Cow came to be worshipped.
Hindus stopped eating beef completely.
In the Gupta Empire, they mostly ate vegetables, cereals, fruits, breads, and drank milk.
Philosophy of food
According to the traditional Indian medical system Ayurveda, food is of three kinds.
• satvic,
• rajasic
• tamasic depending on its character and effect upon the body and the mind.
Satvic food
Satvic food is most simple and easiest to digest type of food.
The food contains most of its nutritional values as it is cooked by using minimal heat and modest
processing.
It provides the necessary energy to the body without taxing it.
It is also considered as a foundation of higher states of consciousness, that is why saints and seers
survive on satvic foods.
Satvic food should be taken fresh or immediately after it is prepared.
Fresh juicy fruits, vegetables (that are easily digestible), milk and milk products, whole soaked or
also sprouted beans, grains and nuts, many herbs and spices consumed in their natural and near-
natural forms are good examples of satvik food.
Common spices like ginger, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and aniseed are highly
recommended in Satvic diet
Rajasik food

Rajasik food is rich in flavour but heavy to digest.
It is suitable for people who do arduous physical work.
Vegetables cooked in excess butter, with spicy and strong flavouring agents, are typical example
of rajasic preparation. Cooked fresh, rajasic food is rich in nutrients with minimum dilution with
water.
Such food is heavy on salt and sugar and takes longer period to digest than sattvic food.
It calls for extended sleeping hours and is sexually stimulating. Satvic foods that have been fried
in oil or cooked too much or eaten in excess, specific foods and spices that are strongly exciting,
bitter, pungent, hot and dry are examples of rajasic food.
A rajasic food eater is usually aggressive and overflowing with energy as the rajasic food increase
the speed and excitement of the human organism
Tamasic food
Tamasic food is considered the worst among all types of food.
Dry, unnatural, overcooked, stale, decaying and processed food makes for a Tamasic diet.
Tamasic diet consumes a large amount of energy while being digested.
Refined food - be it cereals, oils or hydrogenated butter, stimulants and beverages like tea, coffee
and soft drinks, fast and ready-to-cook food, canned or frozen food, precooked and warmed food
items like burgers, pizzas, pastries, and chocolates, incompatible food as well as intoxicants like
tobacco and alcohol are tamasic examples of tamasic food.
Tamasic diet is foundation of ignorance, doubt, pessimism and leads a person to sick and painful
life.
A tamasic person always at serious discomfort with himself and forgets to lead healthy a happy
life
Food of Royalty
We get a lot of information on food served to the royalty in the Sanskrit and regional literature
from 1000 to 1500 A.D.
King Somswara III the Western Chalukya king ruled from 1126 to 1138 A.D.
To him is attributed the Sanskrit work, Abhla-sahitartha-chintamani better known as Manasollasa,
meaning the refresher of mind.
It consists of 100 chapters grouped in to 5 equal books.
In the chapter on Annabhoga, it gives recipes, some fairly detailed others less for the preparation
of a variety of dishes that are even now current in Kannada, Marathi and Tamil areas, such as idli,
disai, vadai, dahi vada, poli, wadia, shrikhand, pheni and Laddu.

However, the king pays much more attention to non vegetarian food preparation. He says even
though food preparation served in earthen vessel tastes well, kings must be served in vessels made
of gold.
Meat Items
In King Someswara’s book, meat items have a pride of place.
Liver was carved in to a globular shape of beetle nuts, which were then roasted on charcoal and
then fried with spices, eventually to be placed in curds, on a decoction of black mustard.
Roasted tortoise, seasoned fish and fried crabs were other dishes relished.
In one recipe pieces of meat are mixed with a paste of gram pounded with spics and fried. To this
were added tender hyacinth beans, certain berries, onions and garlic and the whole mass was taken
up in some sour juice and flavoured.
Tastes of a Royal meal
Many tastes in a royal meal.
These are madhura (sweet), amla (sour), lavana (salty), kata (pungent), tikta (bitter) and kasaya
(astringent), as prescribed earlier on by Sushruta (around 600 AD).
The Bhavissayattakaha (of AD 1000) describes the royal meal of King Shrenika thus. First were
served fruits that could be chewed (grape, pomegranate, ber), then fruits to be sucked (sugarcane,
oranges, mangoes).
Food that could be licked came next and in the fourth course came solid sweet items such as
sevaka, modaka and phenaka. Rice followed next and the sixth was of broths. Curd preparation
made the seventh course and the eighth ended with thickened milk flavoured with saffron. Items
such as parpata (papad) and vataka (vadam) were common.
Coming of Islam
By 1100 A.D. many people stopped eating Pork because it was not allowed by the Koran.
This had an adverse effect on environment because Pigs do not destroy the forest in which they
live but sheep and goats do.
Roti in thali
Roti, dhal and cereals are easily grown in the dry arid atmosphere where there is less of green
vegetables.
This food continued from this period to the present.
Diversity in Indian Food
Indian food is as diverse as its culture, its religions, geography, climatic conditions and traditions.
All of these combine to influence the preparation of Indian food.

Essentially spicy, the cuisine is, however, not always hot.
It is the different combination of a handful of spices that produce the most delectable dishes in the
world.
Use of fruits
With coming of Islam people started eating more fruits.
Citrus fruits like lemons and oranges grown from now onwards and eaten.
Firoz Tughluq laid a large number of mango gardens.
Persian influence on Food
• The food from North India also traces its descent from Persian ancestors and then more
definitely from the 16th century 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).
• Garnished with pounded silver (vark), these dishes along with spicy kormas (braised meat
in creamy sauces), koftas (grilled spicy meatballs) and kababs used to grace the tables of
emperors.
Mughlai influence
Central Asian nomadic influence is apparent in meat dishes and communal eating due to tent life
of the warriors
Kulfi the Mughal way
The delicious cold kulfi was made at court by freezing a mixture of khoa, pista nuts and zafran
essence in a metal cone after sealing the open top with dough. (The only modification today is to
use aluminium or plastic cones with their own caps).
Falooda
Jahangir, unlike his father, enjoyed meat, but will be remembered for popularizing falooda (a jelly
made from boiled wheat strainings mixed with fruit juices and cream).
Food from 16th century
The Mughals were great patrons of cooking.
Introduced rich gravies, pilafs and non-vegetarian fare such as kebabs, resulting in Mughalai
Cuisine as well as such fruits as apricots, melons, peaches and plums.
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 connoisseurs to be the
finest of the main dishes in India.

Portuguese
During this period the Portuguese introduced foods from the New World.
They brought potato, tomato, tapioca, groundnuts, corn, papaya, pineapple, guava, avocado, rajma
(kidney bean), cashew, sapota (chiku), and of course capsicum and chilli in all its forms.
Perhaps the cauliflower and cabbage came from Europe or Latin America too, but certainly a
particular form of cottage cheese did come from the Portuguese.
It was this that became the chhana of Bengal and Orissa — the base for many Bengali sweets
(Sandesh in its modern form, and of course inventions called Rasogolla, Khirmohan, Mouchak,
Pantua, Sitabhog, Chhena Puda, and so forth).
The Portuguese word for grain, grao, was taken up to describe Indian pulses as Bengal gram, horse
gram and other grams.
While the Arabs and Central Asians brought bajra, jowar, lobia and forms of bread (roti) into India,
the Portuguese enriched Indian food through their diverse introductions.
When we eat Aloo-poori, we partake of the richness of the produce of people from West Asia and
Latin America!
Early European officials
Early European Officials in India had lavish tables. Mandelslo in 1638 noted, 15 or 16 dishes of
meat, besides the dessert in the home of the President of the English merchants of Surat.
In 1780, Mrs. Eliza fay, a lawyers wife and herself a dressmaker wrote, “We dine at 2, 0, clock in
the very heat of the day, a soup, a roast fowl, curry, rice, a mutton pie, four quarter of lamb, a rice
pudding, tarts, very good cheese, fresh churned butter, excellent Madeira( that is very expensive
but eatables are very cheap).
To prepare and serve these arrays of dishes a whole array of servants and Kedmutgars were in
attendance. This was followed by a siesta, evening visits and a light dinner at night.
By the turn of the twentieth century eating habits had changed. The mid-day meal had become
lighter. By 1910, a lunch consisted of pea soup, roast chicken and tongue, breadsauce, potatoes,
cheese macroni and lemon pudding.
The main meal had moved to seven or eight in the evening and in 1909, Maud Divers declared,
India is the land of dinners and England is the land of five o, clock tea all India is in a chronic state
of giving and receiving this form of hospitality.
British attitude to Indian food
Indian food, whether the robust fare of Punjab and the North East Frontier or the delicate, light
flavours of the South Indian cuisine, remained essentially the "food of the natives" who, according
to the foreign rulers, ate pungent, chilli-spiked curries and rice or rotis like some uncivilised
pagans.

The British were not in India to learn. They, as well as other Europeans, were here to "civilise" the
backward masses of India and their looking down on the food of India was but a natural corollary.
The memsahibs, whether they were British, French or Portuguese, employed Indian khansamas,
cooks and bearers but taught them their own cuisines rather than eat Indian meals at their
innumerable parties or in their family meals.
Most British officers and civil administrators who came to India, looked upon the native cuisines
of India as unhygienic and unpalatable because of the high content of spices and herbs.
British contribution to Indian food
British made little contribution to Indian food.
Fish and chips or Yorkshire pudding pale in comparison to what we got from the Arabs, Portuguese
and Moghuls, but the British did sensitise us to at least one fruit, namely the apple.
Apples
Local varieties of apple are recorded to have occured in Kashmir (called amri, tarehli and
maharaji), and Dalhara in 1100 AD talked about a "ber as big as a fist and very sweet, grown in
North Kashmir", which is likely an apple.
But it was the colourful Britisher Frederick "Pahari" Wilson who established a flourishing apple
farm in Garhwal, where they grow red and juicy Wilson apples to this day.
Apples in Himanchal
In these days of American imports into India such as Pizza, Burgers, French fries and colas, it is
well to remember the best import we have had from these, namely apples and express our gratitude
to the American Mr. Stokes.
He settled in Kotgarh near Simla in the 1920s and started apple orchards there, and helped in the
proper grading, packing and marketing of the fruit.
Word related to food in British Vocabulary
Colonial rulers have never been known for their linguistic accuracy and no one knows for sure
where the British got this one. "Kari" is a South Indian word for sauce and "tarkari" is a North
Indian dish.
Shiqar festivals
The only concession they made was when they attended the shikar feasts of the maharajas or
ceremonial royal meals in the opulent, chandeliered dining halls of the riyasatis where food was
served by turbaned waiters from gem-studded gold or silver vessels.
Throughout the colonial period too many new, hybrid cuisines developed because the khansamas
of the memsahibs innovated food which combined some of the flavours of India with those of
Britain, France or Portugal.

Thus, as a legacy of the Raj era, we have the remnants of an Anglo-Indian, Indo-French or Indo-
Portuguese cuisine.
These flourish in parts of India and in Britain or Europe where nostalgic memories of the Raj linger
on.
When the British left
Clearly the sahibs and memsahibs fell in love with the flavors of India. When they returned to the
homeland, they had their cooks grind up a mix of spices to sprinkle on their staid British staples.
The world now knows this as "curry powder" and whatever is cooked with it is "curry."
Changes in eating habits
In the British Raj, mini revolutions occurred in food and eating habits in the higher echelons of
Indian society.
Affluent, Westernised Indian families ate at dining tables with forks and knives and added to their
menus, at least some western goodies such as baked dishes, cakes, puddings and ice cream.
Their food, though cooked in their own style, also included a few acceptable western items in their
daily diet.
Chines influence on Food
The Chinese had their influence too, though not to the extent of the Portuguese and the Moghuls.
Mulberry, blackberry and the litchi fruit came to us through them. Of Chinese origin are also the
sweet cherry and the peach.
China also developed the leafy variety of Brassica juncea (rai), which we in India use as a
vegetable.
Camphor is a Chinese import and introduction (it is even today called chinakarpura).
The soybean was imported from China into India in 1908 for cultivation, though it caught on
widely only after the U.S. variety was introduced in 1970s.
And the most precious introduction of China to India (and to the world at large) is of course their
cha or teh, namely tea. Just imagine what we do first thing in the morning — we pay obeisance to
the Arabs with a cup of coffee (they brought it to us in the 1600s) or to the Chinese with our
steaming cuppa.
Caste based food
However, the large mass of the highly caste and-religion-riddled Indian society continued to
maintain its original food barriers and ate community or regional food which was their legacy for
generations.

Caste and religion were the main dividing partitions of society and food and eating habits reflected
these divisions clearly.
After Independence
Only when Independence came, did Indians realise that they were one nation and that they would
have to work above all towards a homogenous culture, lifestyle and national awareness.
The divide and rule days of the British were at last over.
The French had vacated Pondicherry, Mahe and Karaikal and the Portuguese were soon to be
forced out of Goa, Diu and Daman.
Food Revolution
The first signs of the imminent, massive food revolution were visible when Mumbai, the most
cosmopolitan city of India, welcomed hordes of Sindhi and Punjabi refugees who migrated to the
city.
They entered the building and film industries and began to assert their culture in the metropolis.
Punjabi dhaba food from the North West Frontier became popular in Mumbai in the Sixties.
Mumbaites, who had hitherto relished non-vegetarian food in the many street-corner Irani
restaurants and khanawals serving the fish and meat dishes of the Konkan coast and Goa, pounced
on the luscious kebab and tandoori cuisine which was new and exciting.
Food Today
In addition to the pronounced use of spices, common culinary threads unifying local cuisines
include the prominence of flatbreads and a far greater use of dairy products than anywhere else in
Asia.
Breads are made with wheat, rice and ground legumes depending on the part of the country while
dairy products include milk, cream, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream and cheese.
Geographical Differences in Food
Beyond that, the differences take over. Northern Indians tend to use their spices ground while
Southerners start out with them whole and grind them to a paste with cooked onions and other
ingredients. The South is the land of rice while Northerners rely on wheat and other grains -- except
for Kashmir, high in the Himalayas, which produces some of the best rice in the world. Cooks of
the tropical South make heavy use of coconut milk, an ingredient rarely seen in the North. Areas
with access to waterways rely more heavily on seafood. Thus, Bengal is a region of fish-lovers,
preferably the fresh water variety
Impact of religion on food
Undoubtedly the strongest influence defining Indian food is religion. Centuries of Hindu practice
and the profound belief in reincarnation have resulted in the most delicious vegetarian cuisine to

be found in the world. For protein, vegetarians rely on a wide range of legumes, both whole and
split. Mixed with grain, boosted by vegetables and dairy products, and spiced to the max, they
provide a wholesome, varied diet.
Spices
Just as Japanese sushi relies on the freshness of the meat and Chinese food relies on the various
sauces to impart the right flavor and taste, Indian food relies on the spices in which it is cooked.
Spices have always been considered to be India’s prime commodity
Spices for medicines
Most of the spices used in Indian food have been used for their medicinal properties in addition to
the flavor and taste they impart.
Ginger is believed to have originated in India and was introduced to China over 3000 years ago.
In India, a knob of fresh ginger added to tea is believed to relieve sore throats and head colds, not
to mention its aphrodisiacal properties! Turmeric is splendid against skin diseases and neem leaves
are used to guard against small pox.
Indian Food Festivals
1.National Street Food Festival
Where: - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi
When: - December-January
2.Mei Ram – we
Where: - Sacred grove, Mawphlang, Mghalaya
When: - December
3.Great Indian Food Festival
Where: - Dilli Haat, Delhi
When: - January
4.The Grub Festival
Where: - New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai
When: - March
5.Goa Food and Cultural Festival
Where: - DB Bandodkar Ground, Campal Panaji, Goa
When: - April

6.Palate Fest
Where: - Nehru Park, Delhi
When: - Februrary
7.Bhukkad Flea
Where: - Corona Garden, Bandra West, Mumbai
When: - October
Importance of Food Fest
Provides an excellent platform to market goods and display their best offerings to an enormous
crowd.
Exposure to Relevant Crowd
Staying in touch with your competitors
Customer Connect
Initiating Boosts
Also Helps in Finding Potential Investors
Publicity, etc.
Baisakhi
It is the harvest festival
of Northern India. Observed
on 13th or 14th of every year.
Delicacies: - Chole Bhature, Coconut Ladoo, Kheer, Makki ki roti, Sarson ka saag, Pindi Chana
(dried preparation of white chick peas, served with lemon juice and onion rinngs), Puri, Til ke
ladoo, Til ka gajak.
Pongal
This festival celebrated
To offer thanks to the Gods
for the harvest and to ake
Their blessings. Celebrated
During 12th -15th January,
in South India.

Delicacies:- Avial, Coconut Rice, Lemon Rice, Puli
Pongal, Ariselu (made from rice flour, ghee, and jaggery), Masala Vada, Til Polis (made by
stuffing sesame seed mixture inn wheat dough and then shallow frying it.
Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti is a widely celebrated festival in India. In South India, it is called Pongal, in North
India it is called Lohri, while in western India, it is celebrated by flying colourful kites.
Delicacies: - Bajra Khichdi, Til Gajak, Til Chikki, Murmure Ladoo, Payesh (Bengali version of
kheer, made by boiling rice/brokeen wheat with milk, sugar and flavoured with cardamom,
pistachios,
almonds, rasinns, etc),
Aate ki Pinni (wheat flour,
sugar and dry fruits), Bandaru
Ladoo (gramfour mixed with sugar),
Pesarattu (It is made with batter of
Green gram dal,served with
tamarind and ginger chutney),
Mahashivratri
People believe that Shivratri
was the day when Lord Shiva
and goddess Parvati tied the
Nuptial knot. It falls in the
month of February or March.
Delicacies :-
Singhade ki Roti
Singhade ki Kadhi
Aloo Chaat (cubes of potatoes fried and sautéed with spices and chhutney)
Badaam Halwa (soaked almonds grounded and then cooked in desi ghee )
Holi
The celebrations begin with a bonfire
and organizing Holi get together and

playing with coloring dyes.
Delicacies: -
Gujiya (has a distinct shape, filled with a mixture of grated and roasted dry fruits, khoya, coconut
and a little suji)
Kanji ke Vade (freid rounds of lentil batter fermented in water, mustard seeds, and asafoietida.
Thandai (prepared by squeezing the buds and leaves of cannabis into a green paste, and adding
mixture of milk, ghee, almond, sugar, etc.
Onion Bhajiya
Eid
Eid is celebrated all across the world, after seeing the moon at the end of holy month Ramzan in
which the muslims keep fast. It is celebrated for three consecutive days.
Delicacies: -
Sheer khurma (a dessert made using
Milk, rice, sewain, dates, coconut,etc)
Kebabs (kebabs made from a mixture of boiled meat, channa dal
Mint leaves and onions)
Biryani and Pulao
Dahi Bhalla
Ayurvedic Food of India…
Ayurveda is as old as mankind. According to Indian society origin of Ayurveda is given by the
God Vishnu (Dhanvantri).
But the morden ayurveda father is acharya Charaka Samhita in indus valley.
Fact- national medical award name is dhanvantri award.
Ayurveda or ayur-vigyan is a 6000-year-old health care system that asserts that science,
philosophy and spirituality are necessary aspects for a healthy living. Ayurveda is considered not
only a comprehensive medical system but also a way of life.
Ayurveda Works on:
• Body
• Mind
• Sole (Emotions)

Ayurvedic Diet:
An ayurvedic diet is an eating plan that provides guidelines for when you eat, what you eat, and
how you eat to boost your health.
Ayurvedic approach to designing balanced foods for optimal nutrition absorption of essential
nutrients.
Classification of food in Ayurveda:
1. Hot and Cold nature (after effect on body).
2. Satva or Light food, Rajas or Rich food, Tamas or Dull and sluggish.
3.Food Source (plant base, animal base, other).
4. Medicinal, chemical and Genral.
Common food items used in Ayurveda:
Cow products.
Animal products.
Plants products.
Crystals and stones.
Matel and matel ash.
Acids and alkaline.
Variety of aushidi and khadas.
Use for:
1. Strengthen immune system.
2. Efficient detoxification system.
3. Responsive inflammatory system.
4. Optimal metabolic system.
5. Balanced regulatory system.
6. Enhanced regenerative system.
7. Harmonize the life force.
8. Freeradical scavenging or antioxidant.
Indian sciences in Ayurvedic health care practices and related to:

• Yoga
• Cosmetology, Aesthetics & beauty concepts (Saundarya Vigyana)
• Cookery in view of dietetics (Paaka shastra)
• Sexology (Kamashastra)
• Meditation, Spiritual Practices (Dhyana Yoga)
• Music therapy
• Astrology
• Vaastu
WEEKNESS AND PROBLEM:
• In appropriate en-effective, unresponsive educational system.
• Halfhearted Government support so other country take patent for ayurvedic product.
• Substandard condition of Ayurvedic teaching Institutions.
• Poor status of Government run Ayurvedic Institutions.
• Loss of faith of Ayurvedic physicians in their own system.
• Misconception among public regarding delayed effect of Ayurvedic drugs.
• Media creation of toxic effects of TMs due the use of minerals and metals.
• No linkage/ understanding / collaboration between the patron countries of Ayurveda to
counter the negative market strategies.
Vedic Food
Introduction: Vedic period
Vedic Period is the age of new culture, several developments occurred during that period in the
society
In India, a completely new culture and civilisation emerged during the 1500 BC-600 BC.
The Vedic Religion is the predecessor to modern Hinduism.
A method of Ashram system prevailed in the Vedic Period
There are four Vedas- Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda which form the main
literary sources for this Vedic era.
Food in Vedic period begins with cereals like rice and barley which formed a major part of food
in Vedic period. The Vedic literature throws considerable light on the food and drink habits of the
people of the ancient India. Among the food grains, the Rig Veda repeatedly mentions barley,
particularly fried barley. These were used in preparing sweet cakes which were either dipped in
ghee before eating or consumed with "Somarasa" prepared with curd and butter which formed a
major part of Vedic meal. Along with this the food of the Vedic period include large varieties of
pulses, dairy products, meat, salts and spices, sweets and a variety of beverages which reflect the
culture of Vedic period that came through the food habits of the Indian people.

Different Food Products in Vedic Period
Vedic period included both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian food items.
Vedic people cultivated a number of pulses like masura, masa, arahar, grams, peas and kulattha
along with rice, wheat and barley.
Generally cow’s milk was consumed after boiling it.
Milk was used for preparing some more items in which milk was milked with either with soma
juice or messed with grains to create a whole meal of barley.
Along with various forms of milk goat milk also formed a major part of Indian society that is
mentioned in the Rig Vedas.
Beverages in Vedic Period:
❖ Food in Vedic period also gave special importance to beverages particularly Soma Juice
which has been mentioned in all the rituals.
❖ The Vedic literature lays down a list of intoxicating beverages which are largely prepared
by fermenting the fruit extracts.
❖ Most important among them was Soma Ras that was sweet and delicious in taste.
Cooking Methods in Vedic Period
❖ Utensils the Vedic people largely used utensils made up of clay, wood and stone while
other metals are also included for making other utensils.
❖ Also leather vessels were also included.
❖ Various rules and etiquettes which were compulsory for a Vedic family while serving the
meal.
The Golden Principles of Vedic Food Culture
Good eating according to Vedic food culture emphasizes that:
❖ One should eat warm, unctuous and fluid food, served in an elegant manner to create the
congenial and aesthetic atmosphere for its consumption.
❖ Food should be prepared with a variety of ingredients, to balance the different rasa (taste)
and enriched with herbs and spices. The preparation of food should take place with a
peaceful mental state.
❖ Never consume food under stressful circumstances or under any emotional restraint.
❖ Before your meal, bring your mind to your food, which is the fundamental basis of body's
energy. Look at your food and make a wish that the five elements of the food may provide
you with equilibrium, vigour and good health.

❖ Drinking water, either before or one hour after the food is recommended and not with
food.
History of Indian Food
❖ The history of Indian food can be traced back to the ancient daysand introduced by the
ancient Indian civilizations - The Harappa and the Mohenjo-Daro.
❖ The first preparation of food included a number of cereals and pulses.
❖ Gradually, the ancient Indian civilization moved towards perfection and this was noticed
during the Vedic period.
❖ In this period of time, a regular diet consisted of vegetables, fruits, grains, meat, honey,
dairy products, beverages and special kind of spices
Ancient cooking equipment of India
Introduction of Cooking Utensils
▪ Small hand held tools.
▪ Used for food preparation.
▪ Varies with time and style of cooking.

▪ Can be categorized with use as: -
➢ Kitchen ware
➢ Oven ware
➢ Bake ware
➢ Cook ware
COOKING EQUIPMENTS CAN BE MADE UP OF: -
▪ COPPER
▪ IRON
▪ STAINLESS STEEL
▪ EARTHENWARE & ENAMEL WARE
▪ ALUMINIUM
▪ CLAY
▪ PLASTIC
▪ GLASS Etc.
HISTORY OF KITCHEN EQUIPMENT: -
▪ Historic utensils can be named as culinary antiques and vintage kitchen Lia.
▪ Introduced in early 19th
century.
▪ Started in 3600 BC the bronze age.
▪ Followed by iron age.
▪ Results into more sophisticated form of tool making.
▪ Stoneware were also very common in 19th
century.
HISTORY OF KITCHEN EQUIPMENT: -
▪ Equipment’s were used as per nutritional purpose.
▪ The style of cooking also affects the use of utensils.
▪ Some utensils popularized by Romans in 8th
century is: -
➢ Meat mincer
➢ Strainers
➢ Ladle (made of iron)

➢ Kettles and pots (made of terracotta & bronze)
▪ 20th
century equipment’s includes:
▪ Utensils made with tinned or enameled iron.
▪ Steel, nickel, silver utensils were used.
▪ Coppers were not used because it reacts with acidic food.
▪ Mud, cow dung, clays were commonly used.
▪ The middle east household use: -
➢ Measuring cups (stone made)
➢ Meyham (wide neck vessel)
➢ Kederah (a bellied cooking pot)
➢ Yorah and kumkum.
➢ Two types of Teganon (frying pan)
➢ Iskutla (glass serving platter)
▪ The equipments were made more famous in late 19th
century.
Growth of kitchen equipments: -
▪ In late 19th
century enormous growth in kitchen equipment was seen.
▪ Various machine was introduced in the market to save labour and time.
▪ The equipment’s include: -
➢ Copper saucepans (well lined)
➢ Gridiron (flat bottom soup pot)
➢ Double broiler, rolling pin, cleaver etc.
▪ Styles of Equipment’s used in different parts of India
East
▪ Bonthi (vegetable cutter)
▪ Khunti (flat metal spatula)
▪ Hatha (round spoon)
▪ Jhanjri (perforated spoon)
▪ Ghutni (wood hand blender)

▪ Sharashi (pincer)
▪ Styles of Equipments used in different parts of India
West
▪ Sadha nu vasan (steamer)
▪ Lohri (kadhai & tawa)
▪ Kuth (jugs without handle)
▪ Modak patra (copper vessel used for making modak.
▪ Veeli (vegetable chopper)
▪ Chool (cooking stove made of mud)
North
▪ Chakla belan
▪ Pauni (perforated spoon)
▪ Patila (same as lagan)
▪ Khoncha (flat metal spoon)
▪ Bhatti (used for grilling kebabs)
▪ Tikra (clay pot)
▪ Chulah (mud stove)
South
▪ Kalchatti (stone ware used for tempering)
▪ Dosa thiruuppi (flat slicer)
▪ Idli panai (making bulk idli )
▪ Uruli (heavy pot)
▪ Thurvammi (coconut scraper)
▪ Eyya chombu
▪ Thhaavi ladles (bamboo ladles)

SPICES
Sophistication and subtle use of some herbs & spices characterize Indian food and Indian cuisine.
These spices play a very important role in Indian cooking. If there are no spices, it’s not Indian
food. We Indians have a habit of spicing up our food to make it more hot and tasty. Some of the
spices are required for the aroma, some for flavor and some for complimenting other spices.
. In ancient times majority of the spices were produced in India and exported worldwide. It was
then, the Spices of India attracted people across the borders are defined as “a strongly flavored
or aromatic substance of vegetable origin, obtained from tropical plants, commonly used as
a condiment”. Spices were once as precious as Gold. India plays a very important role in the spice
market of the world ices and forced them to come to India for Spice trade.
• Masala is a word very commonly used in Indian cooking and is simply the Hindi word for
“spice.” So, whenever a combination of spices, herbs and other condiments are ground or
blended together, it is called masala
The Indian spices can be categorized into three main categories:
1. The basic spices
2. Complimentary spices
3. Aromatic or secondary spices
1. The Basic Spices
There are a few basic spices in Indian cuisine that go into most dishes. Often a very basic
vegetable dish is made by adding cumin or mustard seeds and asafetida in some hot ghee (clarified
butter) or oil until they sizzle and pop. Then the vegetables are added and steamed.
1a. Cumin Seed: Other Names: Jeera, jeeragam,
jilakara, black cumin, kala jeera, royal cumin, shah
jeera, Comino, cumin-A basic Indian spice. Used mainly in North Indian food and is used for its
strong distinctive taste. When roasted, whole cumin seeds release more aroma and gives the dish
a sweet flavor. Cumin can be used as a whole spice or in the powdered form. Cumin seed powder
lends a sweet and mild flavor to a dish and is one of the main ingredients in the popular mixed
Indian spice called Garam Masala.
1b. Coriander Seeds: Other Names: Dhania
Mainly used for its fresh, soothing and cooling taste, coriander seeds are very light weight and
have a mild flavor. Although they come from the same plant, they should not be mixed up with
cilantro. Coriander seeds like cumin is used as a whole spice and in a powdered form. In a
powder form it is an indispensable spice in the spice box of Indians. The aromatic fragrance of the
roasted coriander powder enhances the taste of any dish.

1c. Black Mustard Seeds: Other Names: Mohri
In India the black mustard seeds are preferred over the larger yellow ones found in the western
world. It has a strong but pleasing flavor and known for its digestive qualities. It is spluttered in
oil or Ghee (clarified butter) and used as a tempering. Mustard seeds are used in India to flavor
vegetables, pulses and pickles.
1d. Turmeric: Other Names: Haldi
Looks similar to a ginger root but when cut has a gorgeous orange-yellow color. Turmeric is
mainly used in Indian dishes for its medicinal properties and for the gorgeous intensive color it
gives to the dishes. It is mildly aromatic and has a delicate scent of ginger. Turmeric is a wonder
spice and is used throughout Asia to treat cases of stomach and liver ailments. It is also used
externally to heal sores and in cosmetics.
1e. Chilli Powder: Other Names: Lal Mirch
The Indian chili powder is made from spicy ground chilies and is often hotter that the chili powder
available in the US/European stores. It has a pungent, hot aroma with a strong bite to it.
1f. Asafetida: Other Names: Hing, asafetida powder, asafetida, devil’s dung, ferula, foetida, heeng
This is often used as a digestive. It has a strong odor and a slight garlicky flavor. Do not taste this
raw – it is NOT a pleasant experience. Using it in the recommended recipe however, works
wonders. Just a pinch is used for cooking in dishes with lentils and beans.
1g. Garam Masala: Other Names: Mixed Spice powder
Garam Masala is powdered blend/mix of spices (aromatic spices, see below) that may
include cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorns, nutmeg, mace. Garam means “hot”, but
not chili hot, hot in the sense that these spices are said to increase body temperature. It can be used
a mix of whole spices as well. A whole garam masala could include whole cinnamon sticks, bay
leaves, cloves, cardamom (black or green), whole mace, and black peppercorns.
Powdered garam masala is often added at the end of cooking in small quantities so that the
full aroma is not lost whereas, whole garam masala is used in north Indian cooking, especially
meat dishes and as aromatics for rice dishes. Often these are fried in hot oil before other wet
ingredients such as meat, onions, garlic, and/or ginger are added. Different regions use different
mixtures and proportions of the spices. A garam masala will vary from household to household.
2. Complementary Spices
Spices like fennel or nigella seeds are sometimes added along with some of the basic spices
to add to flavours. These are used in combination with the basic spices and aromatics mentioned
below according to the dish being prepared.
2a. Fennel Seeds: Other Names: Saunf
Although this is a basic Indian spice, it is not essential. It is mainly used in North Indian
cuisine and possess digestive qualities. If you often visit Indian restaurants you will find these

coated with colored sugar and offered after meals as a mouth freshener. Fennel seeds are also often
used to spice up teas and drinks.
2b. Fenugreek Seeds: Other Names: Methi, halba
This spice, which is actually a lentil, is used throughout India for its distinctive flavor (it
has a slight bitter taste) it gives the dish and for its wonderful healthful properties. Fenugreek is
used in small quantities and is used throughout India – both in North and South Indian Cooking.
As a matter of fact, after turmeric, fenugreek seeds are the most medically useful item in an Indian
kitchen.
2c. Nigella Seeds: Other Names: Kalonji, onion seeds, calonji, hasbasoda, ketza, black caraway
Small black seed, sometimes called onion seeds, although they are not really seeding from onions.
these are often used in North India to enhance vegetable dishes. Toasting the seeds briefly brings
out the flavor.
2d. Carom Seeds: Other Names: Ajwain
These have a strong peppery-thyme flavor. This poppy seed like plant comes from the lovage plant.
It is very popular in North Indian cooking. It is used in preparing many Indian vegetables and
pulses.
3. Aromatics or Secondary Spices
To the above spices we would add chopped onions, tomatoes, herbs and any of the following
secondary spices and create a curry. We go light with the Aromatics and added them in small
quantities or in the form of garam masala.
When you require cardamom in the powdered form, the best way is to crack open the pods using
the back of a spoon and powder the small brown/black seeds inside in a mortar or it is
recommended to grind small quantities at home using a coffee mill. When a recipe calls for whole
cardamom, the pods can be cracked open slightly to release the full.
Andhra Pradesh
Must eat' lists are always a tricky proposition. We're bound to leave out iconic dishes especially in
a large state like Andhra Pradesh where each region offers a cornucopia of culinary treasures. And
then there is that standard myth about Andhra cuisine that almost every dish is guaranteed to drill
a hole in your tongue because of their fiery spice levels. While that might hold good for some
dishes, there's enough Andhra cuisine where subtle flavours come to the fore.

My earliest references of Andhra cuisine go
back to my paternal village in West Godavari
district (not far from Rajahmundry). Add to
that is North Chennai's long list of Andhra
restaurants with culinary traditions that date
back to a time when large parts of Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were part of the same
region - Madras Presidency. We therefore pick
ten dishes that are a great starting point for you
to explore Andhra cuisine:
1. Kandhi Podi
It's true that the podis (powders) are one of the best known elements of Andhra cuisine. The pale
orange Kandhi Podi (Red gram powder) combines split red gram, Bengal gram and roasted gram
and can be stored for months. Restaurants like National Lodge in Chennai have acquired a
hallowed reputation for their Kandhi Podi. Add some of this powder to piping hot rice and a dollop
of ghee, and there's probably no better way to start your Andhra meal.
2. Gongura Pachadi

Just like the podis, the pachadis (chutneys) are a quintessential element in Andhra cuisine and can
either be mixed with rice or served as an accompaniment for dosas or idlis. There's a variety
of interesting chutneyslike the Vankaya (brinjal) Pachadi or my favourite Allam (ginger) Pachadi
that is terrific with dosas or pesaratu. But nothing is more unique than the spicy Gongura Pachadi
that's crafted with spinach (sorrel leaves). I remember looking forward to a large porcelain jar of
this pachadi every summer along with a jar of avakkai (mango pickle).
3. Ulava Charu This is among the state's most
popular dishes and halfway between
a rasam and a traditional soup. The Ulava (horse
gram) Charu might be associated with the Guntur
and Krishna districts but is a delicacy that is
savoured across the state on special occasions.
It's usually served with rice and with a dollop of
cream - Andhra's outstanding dairy produce (from set curd to home-made ghee) doesn't quite get
the national attention it truly
deserves.
4. Pesarattu
At a time when carb-free diets are
officially a thing,
the pesarattu makes a compelling
case for a breakfast or anytime
snack. While
this dosa variant does use a small
amount of rice flour, it's almost
entirely dominated by moong dal. There's also an interesting version (often called MLA Pesarattu)
where the pesarattu is stuffed with Rava Upama.

5. Ragi Sangati with Natu Kodi Pulusu
It's tough to pick Andhra's most popular Chicken dish. There's the Guntur-style Kodi Vepudu that
gets its rich flavours from the dry Guntur chilli, garlic and coconut. And then there's Ragi Sangati
(Ragi Balls) served with the Rayalseema-style chicken gravy made with free range chicken. This
gravy features a medley of spices including star anise and poppy seeds and tastes equally delicious
with steamed rice.
6. Akura Pappu
The Akura Pappu combines
the goodness of spinach with
the protein content of a
conventional dal. The
Pappus (dals) bust the myth
that all Andhra cuisine is
fiery and boast of a tangy
flavour from the tamarind in
the
mix..
7. Royyala Veppudu
It is strongly associated with the
Nellore region in the Southern tip
of coastal Andhra Pradesh, a
region known for high quality
shrimps. Royyala Veppudu
(prawn fry) is relatively easy to fix
and doesn't go overboard with the
spice mix allowing you to enjoy
the flavours of the prawn.

8. Gongura Mamsam
One of the state's most popular lamb dishes that tastes delicious with steamed rice but works well
with chapatti or dosa. The dish is an explosion of flavours that combines the sour taste of the
gongura (sorrel) leaves with red chilli and mutton. It's not uncommon for this dish to feature
potatoes and also coconut milk that lends a rich texture to the gravy.
9. Gutti Vankaya Koora
It is arguably Andhra's best known
brinjal dish and quite similar to the
Bagara Baingan that is a popular
accompaniment for biryani. This
flavoursome dish combines peanut
with red chillies and the wonderful
flavours and textures of brinjal
equally scrumptious with steamed
rice and bajra or jowar rotis.
10. Poothareku
Andhra cuisine has its share of payasams (kheer) and semolina-based desserts (ladoos and
pudding) but nothing quite matches the unique appeal of this sweet dish that can be traced back to
the East Godavari district. Derived from the words 'pootha' (coating) and 'reku' (sheet), you can be
forgiven for mistaking this sweet for paper rolls in terms of appearance and texture. Rice flour and
ghee combine to create the thin film (it requires great skill) that is usually stuffed with powdered
sugar or jaggery (some modern versions even feature chocolate!)
Assam
Assam is a state in northeastern India, situated south of the eastern Himalayas along
the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal
Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the

east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west
via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22 kilometers strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India.
Assam is known for Assam tea and Assam silk. The state was the first site
for oil drilling in Asia. Assam has conserved the one-horned Indian
rhinoceros from near extinction, along with the wild water buffalo, pygmy
hog, tiger and various species of Asiatic birds, and provides one of the last
wild habitats for the Asian elephant. The Assamese economy is aided
by wildlife tourism to Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park,
which are World Heritage Sites. Sal tree forests are found in the state
which, as a result of abundant rainfall, look green all year round. Assam receives more rainfall
than most parts of India; this rain feeds the Brahmaputra River, whose tributaries and oxbow
lakes provide the region with a hydro-geomorphic environment.
GEOGRAPHY
A significant geographical aspect of Assam is that it contains three of six physiographic divisions
of India – The Northern
Himalayas (Eastern Hills), The
Northern Plains (Brahmaputra
plain) and Deccan Plateau
(Karbi Anglong). As the
Brahmaputra flows in Assam the climate here is cold and there is rainfall most of the month.
CLIMATE
With the tropical monsoon climate, Assam experiences
heavy rainfall and high humidity. The climate is
characterized by heavy monsoon downpours reducing
summer temperatures and affecting foggy nights and
mornings in winters, frequent during the afternoons. Spring
(March–April) and autumn (September–October) are
usually pleasant with moderate rainfall and temperature.

FAUNA
Assam is one of the richest biodiversity zones in the world and
consists of tropical rainforests, deciduous forests,
riverine grasslands, bamboo orchards and numerous wetland
ecosystems; Many are now protected as national parks and
reserved forests.
Assam has wildlife sanctuaries, the most prominent of which are
two UNESCO World Heritage sites- the Kaziranga National Park, on the bank of the Brahmaputra
River, and the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, near the border with Bhutan. The Kaziranga is a refuge
for the fast-disappearing Indian one-horned rhinoceros, white-winged wood duck, rufous-necked
hornbill, Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, pygmy hog, wild water buffalo, Burmese python,
and Assam roofed turtle.
Threatened species that are extinct in Assam include the gharial, a critically endangered fish-eating
crocodilian, and the pink-headed duck. For the state bird, the white-winged wood duck, Assam is
a globally important area.
In addition to the above, there are three other National Parks in Assam namely Dibru Saikhowa
National Park, Nameri National Park and the Orang National Park.
The state has the largest population of the wild water buffalo in the world. The state has the highest
diversity of birds in India with around 820 species. With subspecies the number is as high as
946.The mammal diversity in the state is around 190 species.
FLORA
Assam is remarkably rich in Orchid species and the Foxtail orchid is the state flower of
Assam. The recently established Kaziranga National Orchid and Biodiversity Park boasts more
than 500 of the estimated 1,314 orchid species found in India.
GEOLOGY
Assam has petroleum, natural gas, coal, limestone and other minor minerals such as magnetic
quartzite, kaolin, sillimanites, clay and feldspar. A small quantity of iron ore is available in
western districts.Discovered in 1889, all the major petroleum-gas reserves are in Upper parts. A
recent USGS estimate shows 399 million barrels (63,400,000 m3
) of oil, 1,178 billion cubic feet

(3.34×1010
m3
) of gas and 67 million barrels (10,700,000 m3
) of natural gas liquids in the Assam
Geologic Province.
The region is prone to natural disasters like annual floods and frequent mild earthquakes. Strong
earthquakes were recorded in 1869, 1897, and 1950.
LANGUAGE
Assamese is the official language of the state. Additional official languages
include Bengali and Bodo languages.
FESTIVALS
Bihu is the most important and common and celebrated all
over Assam.
Bihu is a series of three prominent festivals. Primarily a non-
religious festival celebrated to mark the seasons and the
significant points of a cultivator's life over a yearly cycle.
Three Bihus, rongali or bohag, celebrated with the coming
of spring and the beginning of the sowing
season; kongali or kati, the barren bihu when the fields are lush but the barns are empty; and
the bhogali or magh, the thanksgiving when the crops have been harvested and the barns are full.
Bihu songs and Bihu dance are associated to rongali bihu. The day before the each bihu is known
as 'uruka'. The first day of 'rongali bihu' is called 'Goru bihu' (the bihu of the cows), when the cows
are taken to the nearby rivers or ponds to be bathed with special care. In recent times the form and
nature of celebration has changed with the growth of urban centres.
Bihu is a set of three important non-religious festivals in the Indian state of Assam—Rongali or
Bohag Bihu observed in April, Kongali or Kati Bihu observed in October, and Bhogali or Magh
Bihu observed in January.The Rongali Bihu is the most important of the three, celebrating spring
festival. The Bhogali Bihu or the Magh Bihu is a harvest festival, with community feasts. The
Kongali Bihu or the Kati Bihu is the sombre, thrifty one reflecting a season of short supplies and
is an animistic festival.

The Rongali Bihu coincides the Assamese New Year and with the Indian New Year festivals like
Baisakhi, Bishu, etc. as well as with other regions of East and South-East Asia which follow the
Buddhist calendar. The other two Bihu festivals every year are unique to Assamese people. Like
some other Indian festivals, Bihu is associated with agriculture, and rice in particular. Bohag Bihu
is a sowing festival, Kati Bihu is associated with crop protection and worship of plants and crops
and is an animistic form of the festival, while Bhogali Bihu is a harvest festival.Assamese celebrate
the Rongali Bihu with feasts, music and dancing. Some hang brass, copper or silver pots on poles
in front of their house, while children wear flower garlands then greet the new year as they pass
through the rural streets.
The three Bihu are Assamese festivals with reverence for Krishna, cattle (Goru Bihu), elders in
family, fertility and mother goddess, but the celebrations and rituals reflect influences from
aborigine, southeast Asia and Sino-Tibetan cultures. In contemporary times, the Bihus are
celebrated by all Assamese people irrespective of religion, caste or creed. It is also celebrated
overseas by the Assamese diaspora community living worldwide.
The term Bihu is also used to imply Bihu dance otherwise called Bihu Naas and Bihu folk
songs also called Bihu Geet.
TRADITIONAL CRAFTS
Assam has a rich tradition of crafts, Cane and bamboo craft, bell metal and brass craft, silk and
cotton weaving, toy and mask making, pottery and terracotta work, wood craft, jewellery making,
and musical instruments making have remained as major traditions.
Cane and bamboo craft provide the most commonly used utilities in daily life, ranging from
household utilities, weaving accessories, fishing accessories, furniture, musical instruments,
construction materials, etc. Assam is the home of several types of silks, the most prestigious are:
Muga – the natural golden silk, Pat – a creamy-bright-silver coloured silk and Eri – a variety used
for manufacturing warm clothes for winter. Apart from Sualkuchi (Xualkuchi), the centre for the
traditional silk industry, in almost every parts of the Brahmaputra Valley, rural households produce
silk and silk garments with excellent embroidery designs. Moreover, various ethno-cultural groups
in Assam make different types of cotton garments with unique embroidery designs and wonderful
colour combinations.

Moreover, Assam possesses unique crafts of toy and mask making mostly concentrated in the
Vaishnav Monasteries, pottery and terracotta work in western Assam districts and wood craft, iron
craft, jewellery, etc. in many places across the region.
TOURIST PLACES
1.KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK
Home to two-thirds of the world's one horned rhinoceros’
population, this national park has been declared as a
World Heritage Site.
2. MAJULI
Majuli is a lush green environment friendly, pristine and
pollution free fresh water island in the river Brahmaputra, just 20 km from the city of Jorhat.
3. GUWAHATI
A sprawling city located beside the mighty Brahmaputra,
Guwahati is the epitome of an amalgamation of ancient history and
modernization. The largest city in all of Assam, Guwahati stands
as the gateway to the Seven Sisters of North East India. A city
shaped by time itself, Guwahati is home to age-old temples that
take you centuries back to the pages of ancient history, but it also
boasts of a cutthroat lifestyle and an electric nightlife, keeping up with the modern era of
urbanization and commercialization. The gushing Brahmaputra river carries with it untold tales
from thousands of years past, and the peaceful ambience lingering in the city despite its modern
lifestyle is one of the main reasons you should visit Guwahati if only to get a slice-of-life
experience of the vivacious juxtaposition of the old and the new.
Guwahati is home to a huge number of old temples, all of which have interesting stories and
legends behind them. The Kamakhya temple, arguably the most visited temple in the city, is a
temple dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya, who was also known as the goddess of desire.

4. HAJO
The ancient pilgrim centre of Hajo is a unique place for being an attraction for three religions -
Hindu, Muslims and Buddhists.
5. MANAS NATIONAL PARK
Manas National Park is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger Reserve, an
Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve in Assam.
6. ORANG NATIONAL PARK
One of the oldest game reserves of the state, The Orang National park located on the shores of
river Brahmaputra, is home to various animals, birds, fishes and is one of the more popular tourist
destinations of Assam.
7. UMANANDA TEMPLE
The smallest river island in the world, Umananda Island is a place with legends aplenty, a place
where man and the wilderness co-habit in peace and serenity. Umananda Island lies at the heart of
the Mighty Brahmaputra River which
flows through the middle of the city of
Guwahati. An island with many
legends associated with it, it's pristine
and calm environ has not been
destroyed by the presence of human
beings as yet. It was known as Peacock
Island among the British Colonists who named it so based on its shape. The Island is home to a
very rare and endangered species called _ãÄGolden Langurs_ã_ who are considered to be highly
sacred among the people of the Himalayas.
The legend goes that it is the very same place where Lord Kamdev (Lord of Love) was burnt into
ashes by the third-eye of Lord Shiva when the former tried to disrupt his meditation thereby giving
it its alternative name _ãÄBhasmchal_ã_. The major attraction of the island is the Umananda Devi

Temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiv and sees a large influx of devotees during religious
festivals.
8. KAMAKHYA TEMPLE
A heavenly abode in the laps of Nilachal hills brings you to Kamakhya Devi temple. And you have
got to believe, this place has a totally amazing old story at its back having Lord Shiva and Goddess
Parvati as main leads.
It was built in the old 10th century and located at a distance of mere 7km from the city of Guwahati,
which can be easily reached by well-connected roads.
The temple is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya and is one
of the prominent Shaktipeeth of the country. The culture
of the temple is well imbibed in local people and they
celebrate Ambubachi festival in the month of June every
year to commemorate the annual mensuration of the
Goddess Kamakhya.
The ancient temple is built in an elongated manner with a circular mandapa at the top, surrounded
by lush green zones. Tourists, as well as devotees, usually come in the early morning to pay their
respect to the temple and Goddess and keep their spiritual energy high in the sky.
9. TOKLAI TEA RESEARCH CENTRE
Assam and Tea are both inseparable in literal terms.
Set up in times of British rule and following the legacy with the developed state, this place is
standing high in tea research facility. Tocklai institute is located in Jorhat city and easy to reach
by roads.
10.TEZPUR
Another city that is on the edges of river Brahmaputra and is a neighbor of Guwahati by the
distance of 175 km, is the city Tezpur. Tezpur has a history with mythology but the actual ruins of
medieval age could be seen in Bamuni hills. Modern Tezpur has a connectivity with the British

era and composes of a subtle calm climate. Tezpur has a rich culture from where Bihu and
Bagurumba dance is the most catching performance.
A concoction of places like Bhairabi temple, Hanuman Mandir, Mahabhairav temple, Cole Park,
Padam pukhuri, Rudra Path and many more makes this place best places to visit in Assam. Nature
gets an extra gist of Kolia Bhomora Setu that connects Tezpur to Nagaon and the view of the
bridge as well as from it makes one fall in love with river Brahmaputra again and again. Don't miss
a chance to be in Tezpur when the tickets to Assam are booked and lying on your table.
11. DIPORBIL
Lake, also known as Bil in Assamese is an evergreen
feature of the land of the North East. The list of tourist
places in Assam never completes without including Dipor
Bil in it. The mighty Brahmaputra has an extension into
the plains which resulted into this enchanting lake. Located
13 km in South West direction from Guwahati, Dipor Bil
is perfect to watch beautiful birds basking in the sun and
swinging on the tunes of the lake's ripples.
The surface of the lake is flared by flora like Waterlily, water hyacinth, aquatic grass and believe
us, it is adding an extra grace to blue clean waters. Along with a boat ride, one can feel the
difference with migratory birds while taking a tour here. Moreover, you can notice Storks, Ducks,
Kingfishers, and Pelicans enjoying in the glory of the climate and making it an attraction for
thousands.
Assam Culinary Delight
APONG is a rice beer, which is traditionally prepared by some
tribes of North-East India. Apong is an integral part of the life of
the Mising (or Mishing) people of Assam. It is brewed in every
Mising household. Adi people of Arunachal Pradesh also prepares
Apong. Apong is prepared by fermenting rice. The Mishing Apong
comes in two types – Nogin Apong and Poro Apong. The Nogin

Apong is whitish in colour, while Poro Apong has a dark greenish colour. The method of
preparation is different. So, the two apongs also differ in their taste and colour.
JUDIMA
The rice wine which can ward off evil.
KHAR
This unique dish is prepared with raw papaya, pulses
and a main ingredient. All these ingredients are then
filtered in water through dried banana ashes for a
flavour that is most unusual and refreshing. It is a rich
dish generally consumed with lunch.
PITHA
Pitha is the most popular snack from Assam; usually had for
breakfast or with an evening cuppa. There are many types of
pitha. They may be can be either sweet or savoury, fried,
roasted or barbequed inside a hollow bamboo stem.
The sweet Pitha is preferred over the salty one.This finger
licking Assamese snack tastes best with Doi (curd) and gur.
BAMBOO STEAMED FISH
This dish is a speciality from Nagaland. The first bite might taste plain,
but eventually you can savour the subtle hint of bamboo flavour. Fresh
spices include Raja Mirchi. used in the dish enhances its flavour. Bamboo
Steamed Fish is best enjoyed with steamed rice.
ALOO PITIKA

It is a mashed potato dish, and we all know that there’s nothing
quite like mashed potatoes, especially when it is teamed with
chopped onions, green chillies, fresh coriander leaves, salt and a
drizzle of mustard oil. It is usually served with steam rice, dal
and lemon wedges on the side.
MASOR TENGA
Fish forms an integral part of the Assamese cuisine, thanks to the
mighty Brahmaputra that runs through the state. There are different
varieties of big and small fish that are available throughout the year,
which are then prepared in various ways using regional vegetables
and greens, and without turning to spices and masala mixes to build
flavour. The most quintessential Assamese fish dish is called Masor
Tenga, ‘tenga’ meaning sour. Several kinds of souring agents are
used to make the curry, such as lemon, kokum, tomatoes, herbs, elephant wood apple, etc and it is
served along with steamed rice.
MANGSHO
Mutton curry is another favourite dish in Assamese cuisine. In fact,
people take it as an offense if they are not served mutton curry
and luchi or pulao when they visit neighbours, friends or relatives
on invitation. This is one of the few dishes that witness the use of
multiple spices to build flavour. Pork dishes are also popular in
Assam, but traditionally they were a speciality among the tribal lot.
Pork is prepared using herbs, bamboo shoot, bhoot jolokia, and
veggies, among other ingredients.
GHILA PITHA
This sweet called the “ghila pitha”, is a savory made during the festivals like Magh Bihu and Bohag
Bihu in Assam and relished with friends and families.

West Bengal Culinary Delight
Kolkata, the City of Joy, has many things to offer to locals and
tourists alike. Food is of course one of the major highlights of this
metropolitan city. Like most other cities in India, Kolkata offers a
wide variety of food options. But, Kolkata is best known for its
local Bengali cuisine and why not? Where else can you have Sorshe Ilish ! How about a Food
Crawl through the streets of Kolkata?
Street Food
Jhal Muri
.Jhal Muri is made of puffed rice, chili powder, raw mustard oil and other ingredients like chopped
boiled potatoes, coriander leaves and more. This spicy mixture served in paper packets . It is
Kolkata’s most popular street food and can be found at railway stations, bus stops, busy market
places, outside office complexes and almost everywhere.
Puchka
Pani Puris of Mumbai and Golgappas of Delhi become Puchkas in Kolkata. Puchakas are round
fried hollow puris filled with a mixture of tamrind water, mashed potatoes, chaat masalas, chilis,
onions, chickpeas and more. You will barely find any restaurant serving Puchkas, you have to hit
the streets for it.

Tele Bhaja
Tele Bhajas are yet another specialty of Kolkata. You can literally
find hundreds and hundreds of street side stalls offering these fried
delicacies. They aren’t just simple fries. The ingredients are boiled,
smashed, dipped in slurry of gram flour and then fried. Stop being
conscious about your waistline for at least once and sample Aalur
Chop (uses smashed boiled potato), Peyaji (uses chopped
onion), Beguni (uses sliced brinjal) and more!
Rolls (Mutton, Chicken and Egg)
Though they are not really traditional Bengali fare, these are quite
popular in the evenings. The meat rolls are parathas (breads made
of maida, the all purpose flour) fried in oil and rolled with chicken or mutton pieces inside it. Egg
rolls are slightly different with egg on one side of the paratha and then rolled with chopped onion,
cucumber and green chilies.
Churmur – A crunchy blend
Much like Phuchka, this street food of Kolkata is a mix of crushed
puchka, mixed with mashed potatoes, onions, spices, and of course
tetul gola – pulp of tamarind. Though it tastes similar to Phuchka,
Churmur is easier to eat. Your Kolkata street food tour is incomplete if you don’t try Churmur.
Ghugni Chaat
If you’ve ever tasted Mumbai’s Ragda, you somewhat know what
we’re talking about. Ghugni is made mainly of boiled yellow and
white peas – mixed with onions, coriander, chillis, tomatoes,
spices, and topped with tamarind pulp. This is a popular street food in Kolkata, and deserves all
the popularity!

Keemar Doi Bora
Keemar Doi Bora is meat Dahi Bada dropped in sweet dahi
sprinkled with panch phoron, that is – cinnamon, a pinch of red
chilli powder, cumin, black mustard seeds and fenugreek. For north
Indians, this is a unique dish to try – definitely one of the best street
food of Kolkata.
Chhanar Jilipi
For those with a sweet tooth, relishing this street food in Kolkata is
sheer delight; it is juicy, soft, and chewy. Chanar Jilipi is a Kolkatan
jalebi made of cottage cheese. It is thicker than a normal jalebi and
the texture is similar to Gulab Jamun. That’s basically goodness of
two sweets in one.
Aloo Kabli
One of the best forms of potato, Aloo Kabli is a spicy and hot dish
you mustn’t miss when you crave for something flavorsome in
Kolkata. Boiled potatoes are tossed with tamarind pulp, onions,
tomatoes, chilies, chickpeas, and a magical combination of masalas.
MAIN COURSE
Luchi
Luchi is a deep fried bread that resembles a poori .The only
difference is that it is made with refined flour and fried without any
colour .Luchi is made on special occasions and is usually
accompanied by cholar dal that is usually accompanied by cholar dal that is tempered with small
pieces of coconut.

Radha balhobi
Radha balhobi is eaten mostly for breakfast and is quite similar to a
kachori made in Uttar Pradesh.It is stuffed with urad dal and served
with potato curry known as aloor dum.
Bhaja
The word bhaja mainly refers to fried items. One could have a range
of bhajas that accompany a special meal. The most common and
famous is baigun bhaja , which is a thick roundel of eggplant
marinated and shallow fried in mustard oil .Similarly,fine juliennes
of potato are fried in the same way to make topsey mach bhaja and
are served during festive occasion.
Shorshe bata ilish
The hilsa fish braised in mustard pasteand slit green chillies is an
important dish of both West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is commonly known as shorsho bata ilish.
It can be cooked for everyday meals or even during festivals and occasions.
Macher paturi
This is quite a unique preparation where the darnes or steaks are
marinated in freshly grounded mustard paste and wrapped in banana
leaves .These are then steamed and eaten with steamed rice.
Chitol macher muitha
Chitol is a special fish typically eaten during Durga Puja . The meat
from the back part after removing the bones is shaped into koftas
and simmered in gravy.

Pabda macher jhalThis dish made from the pabda fish and is a
speciality made during durga puja .The whole fish is stewed in gravy
predominant of red chili powder.
Chingri malai curry
This preparation is cooked on festive occasions and on
marriages.Small sized prawns are stewed in a gravy made with
boiled onion paste, thickened with coconut milk.
Kosha mangsho
This is a semi dry preparation of lmb that gets its unique dark
colour from the iron kadhai that it is cooked in and the caramelized
sugar .This preparation is eaten with deep fried bread such as luchi
Potoler dolma
Baby oval gourd are stuffed with a mixture of cottage
cheese,potatoes,raisins and spices and simmered in an onion based
gravy .This is again a festive dish and made on special occasions.
Dhokar dalna
This unique dish is again made on special occasions a gram flour
batter is cooked with spices and then spread on a tray and steamed
.It is then cut into small pieces in the shape of a diamond and deep
fried .The fried dumplings are now stewed in a gravy of boiled onion
paste ,thickened with gram flour and whole spices.

Kabiraji cutlet
Kabaraji cutlet is made from chicken breast .The chicken breast is
marinated in turmeric ,salt,ginger and garlic paste , onion paste and
spices such as green chillies and red chilli powder .The marinated
chicken is coated with a light batter of rice flour and eggs deep fried
until golden brown.
Aloo posto
Potatoes are cooked with freshly grounded poppy seeds paste and
flavored with spices and turmeric. Aloo posto can be eaten with
deep fried bread or whole wheat paratha.
FAMOUS SWEETS:-
Rosogulla
A famous sweet meat seller Nabin Chandra Das of Kolkata
invented rosogulla.It is pepared from cottage cheese (chenna) which
is first kneaded and then rolled into smart balls .Theses cheese balls
are then cooked in thin sugar syrup.The rosogulla did not get any
fame until his son K.C. Das popularized the same by canning it and
marketing it all over the world.Rosogulla are made in various sizes and flavours and are named
differently .Some of the most common once are as follows:-
• Nolen Gurer rosogulla:-These rosogulla are poached in nolen gur .This are the only
rosogula that are served hot ,otherwise rosogulla are served chilled.
• Raj Bhog:-This rosogulla are large in size and the diameter can be 3-4 inches
• Kamala bhog:-This is the large size rasagulla that are coloured yellow and is flavoured

with oranges.
Rasmalai
This is a variation of rasgulla.It is prepared like a rasgulla ,but the
chenna dumplings are flattened and poached in syrup until cooked
.These are then soaked in saffron flavoured sweetened milk and
served chilled with chopped pistachios.
Patishapta
This is the dessert that is made to celebrate the end of Bengali new
year. Pank cakes are made from the batter of refined flour and
milk.This are then stuffed with cooked mixture of grated coconut
sugar or jaggery and cardamom powder.These pan cakes are
garnished with same stuffing in the middle .
Misti Doi
Misti doi is the delicacy is prepared like a regular curd but with the
addition of jiggery to it.Only palm jiggery is used to get that the
peculiar colour and taste It gives creamy texture to the curd with a
layer of fat at top , is a skill that is passed down from one generation
to generation.
Sandesh
Sandesh is one of the famous Bengal dessert made from palm
jaggery ,reduced milk and chenna.All the three ingredients are
cooked in a thick bottom pan until they stop sticking .Balls od the
mixture are then pressed into moulds of various shapes to give the
characteristics shape to sandesh.Variation of sandesh are prepared
by altering the shape and flavour of sandesh.
Payesh
Payesh is commonly made at homes by cooking short grain rice
known as gobind bhog along with milk until creamy. Jaggery is used
to sweeten payesh and broken cashewnuts and rasins are added for
texture.

Lengcha
These are deep fried dumplings of khoya and flour symbolizes the
jamun and the rose ,honey and saffron flavoured syrup symbolizes
the dessert.It is traditionally made of chikna khoya and maida ,which
gives the dough the correct consistency and prevents it from cracking
while it is being fried.These are two inch long rod shaped ,fried in
ghee and poached I sugar syrup.
Chenna poda
Chenna poda is a very famous dessert baked and probably influenced
by the baked cheese cake of the western world .To make this sweet
a paste of soaked rice and urad dal is made .Water is added to this
paste and a batter of pouring consistency is made.Usually ,crushed
aniseed is used for flavouring the batter.Another mixture is made by
cooking grated jaggery until jaggery melts .Chenna is added and the
mixture is cooked until it begins to leave the sides of the pan .Now the mould is prepared by linning
with banana leaves and alternativey the rice and lentil batter are cooked cottage cheese mixture is
poured into and the same is baked until the cake is cooked and slightly brown.
Kancha Gola
Kancha gola is a soft sandesh from Bengal .It is used by cooking fresh
curd ,milk ,and condensed milk .boiling curd along with results in a
curdled texture .The mixture is cooked until it becomes sticky.It is then
removed from fire and green cardamom powder is added .It is shaped
into round dumplings .This sandesh is slightly granular in texture.

Culinary Delights of Chhattisgarh
Introduction
Chhattisgarh, state of east-central India. It is bounded by the Indian states of Uttar
Pradesh and Jharkhand to the north and northeast, Odisha(Orissa) to the east, Telangana (formerly
part of Andhra Pradesh) to the south, and Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to the west. Its capital
is Raipur. Area 52,199 square miles (135,194 square km).
The history of the Chhattisgarh regions dates back to about the 4th
century CE, when it was known
as southern kosala . The Name Chhattisgarh Meaning “thirty-six forts,” was Formerly applied to
the territory of Haihaya Dynasty of Ratanpur , founded about 750. Under British rule the present
region of Chhattisgarh consisted of a division comprising 14 feudatory princely kingdoms under
the Eastern states agency .Raipur was the headquarter of that region. With in the republic of india
, Chhattisgarh the part of Madhya Pradesh until Nov. 1, 2000. At present the state has 27
administrative districts and 5 divisions.
Cuisine of Chhattisgarh –
The ‘rice bowl of India’ is Chhattisgarh, as rice is widely eaten and relished. The staple diet of
people of the territory consists of wheat, maize and Jowar. The Cuisine of Chhattisgarh serves a
wide range of mouth-watering dishes and they are enriched with the qualities of protein , vitamins,
minerals and irons . The rich Divergent Culture, Palate and traditions of the Nation is imbibed in
the soil of Chhattisgarh. Although the Savor and Savory has been blending and evolving with the
confluence of immigrants from the north and south, yet the essence still remains. The major
dishes and savouries here are mostly made of rice and assorted ingredients. Not much of spice, a
Pinch of salt and mostly oil less.
The people of the state have an inclination towards tangy recipes and sweet delectable. Maize,
wheat and Jowar are the basic diet of the inhabitants of Chhattisgarh. Since the state is quite opulent
with an abundance of crops such as rice and oilseeds, so the people of the place are never short of
their staple food. The food of Chhattisgarh is categorized under two different heads - tribal recipes
and non-tribal menus. The tribes of Chhattisgarh primarily add the various types of fruits that are
commonly found in the forest areas of Chhattisgarh. Rakhia Badi and Petha are the two distinctive
food items that are prepared by the tribal population of Chhattisgarh during major festivals.

The tribal food includes fish, pork, red ants, flying ants, squirrels, field rats and wild mushrooms
and plants. The fruit got from the Mahuwa tree is very famous in Chhattisgarh. The fruit is small,
white and creamy which is further fermented into a strong brew and consumed by the people. The
meal of these people are complete only with a sweet after their food and so jalebi has become an
integral part of the food menu of the state. Bafauri a special recipe made of Chana dal is also a
favourite among the people of the state. The people of the state have a liking towards tangy recipes
and sweet dishes.
Most of the traditional foods are made of rice and rice flour, curd and a variety of green leafy
vegetables like Lal Bhaaji, Chowlai Bhaaji, Chech Bhaji, Kaanda Bhaaji, Kheksi,Katha,Kochai
Patta, Kohda and Bohar Bhaji. Badi and Bijori are optional food categories; Gulgul (bobra),
Dhoodh Fara, Bafauli, Kusli, Balooshahi, Singhara, Tikhur ,Anarsa and Khurmi fall in sweet
categories. Some well-known breakfast dishes made out of Rice & rice flour include Fara/Muthiya
(rice rolls in white sauce), cheela (Dosa like dish made with rice batter), Angakar roti, Chousela
roti (rice Puris), etc. One of the common meal had during the scorching summer is Bore Baasi (
literally means dipped rice from last cooked meal) which mainly consists of cooked rice dipped
water/Curd/buttermilk. It is mostly accompanied by pickle and raw onion. It helps maintain the
water levels in the body, keeping it cool and hydrated during the hot and arid summer days.
Most of the traditional and tribal foods are made of rice and rice flour, curd and a variety of green
leafy vegetables like lal bhaaji, chowlai bhaaji, chech bhaji, kaanda bhaaji, kheksi,kathal,kochai
patta, kohda and bohar bhaji (Blossom of Lesuaa or Rasaulaa in Hindi, mostly used for making
Achaar). Badi and Bijori are optional food categories; gulgula (bobra), bidiya, dhoodh fara,
bafauli, kusli, balooshahi,singhara, tikhur ,anarsa and khurmi fall in sweet categories. Some well
known breakfast dishes made out of Rice & rice flour include fara/muthiya (rice rolls in white
sauce), cheela (dosa like dish made with rice batter), angakar roti, chousela roti (rice puris), etc.
One of the common meal had during the scorching summer is Bore Baasi ( literally means dipped
rice from last cooked meal) which mainly consists of cooked rice dipped water/dahi/buttermilk. It
is mostly accompanied by pickle and raw onion. It helps maintain the water levels in the body,
keeping it cool and hydrated during the hot and arid summer days.
One of the well known traditional dishes of Chhattisgarh is Iddhar. It is made with ground Urad
dal and kochai patta. Both are arranged in alternate layers 2-3 time and then rolled. This roll is
then cooked in steam and cut into pieces. After that it is prepared with curd like curry. Some people

also make it with gram flour (besan) instead of urad dal. Tribal and village populations drink a
brew made of the small, creamy white flower of a local tree called Mahuwa Dishes like Chila and
Phara are favourites.They are made with rice flour and eaten with spicy or tangy chutnees of
tomato,chilli and coriander.Chila is made by making a thick mixture of water and rice flour and
then made like a plain dosa.On the therapy side phara is made by left over rice and rice flour by
making a dough and then make cylindrical shapes and giving tadka with jeera,mustard,curry
leaves,tomato,turmeric,salt and chilly.People of Chhattisgarh do not waste food.People eat Baasi
here.It is left over rice dipped in water and curd and eaten with chutney.
Bhajis of Chhattisgarh
In Chhattisgarh 36 varieties of Bhaji cultivated and consumed locally in different – different region
of Chhattisgarh like –
1. Amaari bhaaji (Ambadi leaves)
2. Chench bhaaji
3. Tiwra bhaji (Tinwara leaves)
4. Chana bhaji (Gram leaves)
5. Laal bhaaji (Red amaranthus leaves)
6. Khendaha bhaaji
7. Gondali bhaaji
8. Bohaar bhaaji
9. Muskeni bhaaji
10. Patwa bhaaji
11. Kajra bhaaji
12. Macheriya bhaaji
13. Chanauri bhaaji
14. Tinpaniya bhaaji
15. Kurma bhaaji
16. Murai bhaaji
17. Chaulai bhaaji
18. Karmata bhaaji
19. Kaanda bhaaji

20. Makhna bhaaji
21. Chunchuniya bhaaji
22. Putka bhaaji
23. Paalak bhaaji (Spinach leaves )
24. Barre bhaaji
25. Ghobhi bhaaji (Cauliflower leaves)
26. Lahsuva bhaaji (Garlic leaves)
27. Sarson bhaaji (Mustard leaves)
28. Kusum bhaaji
29. Charota bhaaji
30. Chirchira bhaaji
31. Urla bhaaji
32. Gudru bhaaji
33. Munga bhaaji (Drumstick leaves)
34. Aalu bhaaji (Potato leaves)
35. Bhathava bhaaji
Delights of the Chhattisgarh-
1. Chila – It is a Chhattisgarhi pancake which is
made of Rice flour and mixed it with chopped
coriander leave and seasoned with salt.
Figure 1(Chila)
2. Fara – The dish which is shaped of Croquette and made of rice flour and the Tempered
with sesame seeds, Curry Leaves and Green Chilies.
Figure 2 (Fara)
3. Bafauri – It is a simple and light snacks made from chana dal , onion and mix of spice and
served along with chutney.

Figure 3 (Bafauri)
4. Chausela – It is basically a Puffed Poori Which is
made of rice flour and Deep fried in a oil.
Figure 4 (Chausela)
5. Urad Bada – It is like an Savoury south indian Fritters
which is not having any hole in the centre .It is made
from Split Black Lentil , Onions and green chilies and
seasoned with salt. It is accompanied with Crushed
tomato chutney.
Figure 5 (Urad bada)
6. Moong bada - It is round shaped bada which is made
of Pigeon Peas , Ginger , Green chilies, Onion and
cumin. Its deep fried in a oil and accompanied with
Crushed tomato chutney.
Figure 6 (Moong bada)
7. Majha pitha - Pitha is a combination of rice and Split
Black lentil ( Urad Dal ). It is Prepared with Split Black
gram , Garlic, Mustard seed and Sesame seeds It is
generally served as a snack with Crushed tomato
chutney.

Indian Culinary Institute, Noida: Religious Sweets, Rituals, History

Indian Culinary Institute, Noida: Religious Sweets, Rituals, History

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