Indian food

The first thing that strikes you when you compare cuisines in a place as diverse as India is that the colour of food does not necessarily translate into the colour of skin. North Indians are mostly tall, fair, wheat-eaters. South Indians, in contrast, are predominantly darker skinned, rice-eaters. The rest of this culinary story is a matter of white vs. brown.

Let’s begin the journey from top to bottom or north to south, and start from the Kashmir. The Kashmiri cuisine is famous for its “Wazwan”. A multi-dish mostly non-vegetarian meal served at ceremonies – like weddings etc. It is a ritualistic serving of all the food in the house, to the guest. This show of hospitality must in turn be fully appreciated by the guest as days of planning and preparation result in a single Wazwan meal. And the mutton-gluttons don’t take too kindly to poor eaters.

Moving on to Punjab, here the food is rich like the fields and portions extra-large, like the hearts of its people. There’s Mah Ki Daal and Sarson Ka Saag. The stuffed Parathas, Butter Chicken, Rajma-chawal and Chholey-Bhature all served – dollops of butter or ghee and Lassi. This cuisine is tailor made for a farmer’s hard-working lifestyle.

Food is probably the next best thing to architecture that the Mughals gifted Delhi. And families of the same royal cooks, who served Emperor Akbar, still run places that become legendary. The Mutton Mughlai, Badaam Pasanda and Dum Biryani are things that make culinary dreams are made of. The layered Parathas, Tandoori dishes and a mind-boggling array of Kebabs leave you more confused for choice. The Chaats, Tikkis and Samosas make your tongue burn even while you taste buds refuse to relent and you need to hot-foot to the nearest water cooler.

Making our journey southwards – it’s the Andhra cuisine that will literally set you on fire. A range of chutneys, pickles and curries accompany the staple diet – rice, which is eaten with just about everything. Spices and chillies are used by the bagful in every preparation. For the confusing names they give their food, Andhraites keep their preparations fairly simple. There’s Pessaratu, a spicy pancake made of pulses. There’s Rasam, the thinly disguised atom-bombish soup. There’s Pappu, made with pulses, tamarind and vegetables. And then there’s the Nawabi food of Hyderabad! Rich like the race that once ruled the region. The Biryanis, Kebabs and desserts of Hyderabad, words don’t suffice to describe the epiphany that the gourmet food can have.

“Udupi” a little town on the southwest coast of Karnataka has made the state world-famous. The humble Masala Dosa originated here. It is what can be easily described as the fast food of India – doasa, appams, idlis, uttapas can even surpass the legendary sales figures of McDonald burgers. A meal in Karnataka is a ceremonious affair. Dishes are served in a particular sequence and everyone is supposed to begin and end the meal together. Tough, if you hear nature calling in the middle of one!

Tamil Nadu offers a wide range of Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian dishes. Coconut, tamarind and asafoetida are a must in almost all vegetarian preparations. Among the non-vegetarian ones, however, Chicken Chettinad cackles the loudest. It is among the spiciest, oiliest and most aromatic chicken dishes.

In Kerala, the coconut capital of India, coconut in every dish is mandatory, as is rice. The fish too is omnipresent. Being the spice capital of the country, spices of all kinds make their food aromatic, drawing foodies by the hordes, with liberal usage of cardamom, clove, pepper, turmeric, ginger, chillies & mustard. Kerala is known for its traditional banquet – Sadhya, a vegetarian meal served with boiled rice and a plethora of side-dishes. The sadhya is complemented by payasam, a sweet milk dessert native to Kerala. The sadhya is, as per custom, served on a banana leaf, and is a formal meal with three or more courses of rice and side-dishes (usually sambar, rasam, buttermilk, etc.).

The defining feature about Indian cuisine is the the diversity which reflects the varied demographics of this ethnically diverse subcontinent. Since transportation took time in the days of yore, each region had to prepare food with locally available material. The most striking contrast in eating habits shows up between the meat-and-bread eating northern regions and the pulse-and-rice southern regions. However, no matter where the food is from, the Indian cuisine is not just wholesome but tasty to boot.