This document provides an overview of food culture in India. It discusses that Indian cuisine is as diverse as India itself, using numerous ingredients and preparation styles. It then describes typical eating habits in India, with breakfast considered important and dinner as the main meal. The document proceeds to describe the cuisines of North, East, South, and West India, highlighting common ingredients and dishes for each region. It notes that Indian food in general has high nutritional value depending on ingredients and cooking methods used.
2. INDIAN CUSINE
Food is an integral part of every human culture.
For survival needs, people everywhere could eat
the same and some simple food. But human
cultures, over the ages, experiment, innovate and
develop sophisticated cuisines
Indian food is as diverse as India. Indian cuisines
use numerous ingredients, deploy a wide range
of food preparation styles, cooking techniques
and culinary presentation. From salads to sauces,
from vegetarian to meat, from spices to
sensuous, from breads to desserts, Indian cuisine
is invariably complex.
3. EATING HABITS
People in India consider a healthy
breakfast, or nashta, important.
They generally prefer to drink tea or
coffee with the first meal of the day.
Lunch in India usually consists of a main
dish of rice in the south and east and rotis
made from whole wheat in the northern
and western parts of India.
In Dinner is considered the main meal of
the day, and the whole family gathers for
the occasion.
5. NORTH INDIA
A Northern Indian meal might consist of many
selections of baked bread and grain products. Also
rice, vegetables, and curry might be on the plate. A
few ingredients in Northern India are made with
dairy products, such as yogurt, milk, paneer,
ghee,(butter). In addition, gravies decorate food
and are usually dairy based. Sometimes some meals
have nuts, spices and herbs added.
Some other meals might have flat breads such as,
naan, paratha, and tandor. The flatbread family is
frequently found in North India. Regularly used as a
side dish, flat bread plays a large role in Indian
society. North India is one of the four areas that
have made fine dining in India so unique.
6. EAST INDIA
Eastern India is famous for its delectable desserts,
which are very sweet, such as chumchums, rasagolla,
kheeri, and chhena pona (Indian sweets).
These sweets, now popular in North India, originated
in Bengal and Orissa. Besides sweets, east India is
also famous for its Posta ( poppy seeds).
Eastern India uses a simpler way of preparing and
serving a meal. Steaming and frying are typical ways
that basic foods are cooked. Varying in regions, meat
is one of the popular food material in East India.
7. SOUTH INDIA
Southern India does not use fried foods, but rather
roasted or baked. Rice and coconut products may be
found also on a typical Indian plate. One of the most
general is sambar which is curried vegetable soup.
Samber can be found at other places, such as Andhra,
Chettinad, Hyderabadi.
However, each place has its own unique way of creating
the correct dish. Fine desserts also are created
throughout Southern India. Desserts like mysore pak
(chick pea dish) and creamy payasam (milky rice dish).
Chettinad dish
Payasam
8. WEST INDIA
Western India has four main food categories,
Rajasthani, Gujarati, Maharashtrian and Goan.
Maharashtrian cuisine has two important
areas that are separated geographically.
Coastal regions are more popular with rice
fish and coconut. However the mountainous
regions are more consistent with wheat, jowar,
and baji. Goan are heavily dependent on rice,
coconut and fish.
Gujarati is very vegetarian and has more
sweets. Rajasthani is also very vegetarian, but
has a very well blend of spices and herbs.
West India might also be the most diverse out
of all the four categories of India. Usually
vegetarian, west India also has a nice balance
of spice, herb and delectable meats.
9. INDIAN FOOD NUTRITION
Most Indian food nutrition depends on how it was
cooked and the ingredients put into the dish.
Most Indian food has all the food groups, and has lot of
nutritional value to it. The basic Indian dish is
frequently baked or roasted.
The odd deep fried food is also available. On a
nutritional level, Indian food is relatively healthy.