What exactly is Indian food?
In essence, this cuisine, like Chinese cuisine, cannot ever be categorized as "Indian Cuisine." According to the local climate and palate, each state in India has distinct eating patterns. North India is famed for its kebabs and other meat delicacies, although it is less hot than South India. South India is recognized for its rich, tangy, and spicy food, especially meat and fowl. Similar to how the West is well-known for its street food, meat, and chapattis, the East is well-known for its rice, fish, and sweets.
Again, Indian cuisine cannot be broken down by area; rather, it can only be categorized by state because each state has its own distinct food customs and culture. India is basically divided into different topographically distinct areas.
The Himalayan Mountains, the highest mountain range in the world, span across the far northern region of India along its northern borders with China and Nepal. These snow-covered mountains' frigid winters and temperate summers are ideal for cultivating a variety of products, including fruits and walnuts. Wild mushrooms abound in this environment.
The landscape transforms into lowlands, valleys, and rivers to the south of the Alps. The Ganges and Indus rivers flow through this region, supplying excellent farmland with rich soil and an abundance of fish for human use. This is where the majority of Indians live.
Coastal regions and rich plains make up the east. Here, there is an abundance of fish and shellfish and abundant crops like rice, coconuts, and several vegetables. Eastern India experiences heavy rainfall; this region has some of the highest measured rainfall totals worldwide. In contrast, the region in the west is hot, arid, and has desert-like conditions. People who live in this area eat primarily seafood from the coasts because there are a lot fewer crops that can be grown there.
A plateau in the center of the central-southern Indian peninsula, known as the Deccan, is bordered by mountains on the east and west, and coastal plains are located between the mountains and the coast. In the south, tropical weather and jungles are prevalent. A large portion of this area is suitable for farming and produces a variety of grains, including the renowned basmati rice, wheat, corn, millet, and barley. In this area, several different vegetables and legumes grow well. The extreme south, which is located close to the equator, has hot, muggy, tropical weather with seasonal monsoon rains. This climate is ideal for growing seafood, fish, coconuts, bananas, and a wide variety of tropical fruits and vegetables.
India experiences three distinct seasons.
The Chilly seasons of fall and winter, the hot season that occurs in spring, and the summer wet season. The cool season is characterized by chilly weather in alpine regions and temperate, warm, or hot weather in other locations. During the hot season, the southern regions in particular experience exceptionally hot temperatures. India is vulnerable to flooding and droughts due to the monsoons' significant impact on the crops, frequently resulting in crop failure and hunger.
Important Foods and Ingredients Found in Indian Cuisine-:
Grains include wheat, rice, Masoor dal, Arahar dal, etc.
Lentils, split peas, moong beans, chickpeas, and rajma are among the legumes.
Fish, seafood, mutton, beef, veal, goat and lamb, and other meats.
Various vegetables, such as spinach, cauliflower, peas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, bitter gourd, and bell papers etc.
Fruits like bananas, apples, mangoes, oranges, papayas, grapes, guavas, melons, and coconuts.
Chutneys of all kinds, pickled fruits and vegetables, and other condiments are included.
Garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, fenugreek, spicy peppers, mustard, fennel, cloves, and cinnamon ghee (clarified butter) are among the herbs.
Among the breads are chapatti, paratha, naan, poori, and roti.
Haldi, panch phoran, and garam masala are some of the masalas.
Cooking Techniques, Kitchenware, and Food Preservation Techniques
In the beginning, most meals were either grilled over an open fire or cooked in a pot set inside the fire's embers. Naturally, this one-pot cooking method produced curries that resembled stews and was ideal for the lengthy, slow cooking required for legumes. The tender slices of meat were combined with veggies on skewers for grilling in order to increase the amount of meat available, and the tougher portions were added to the pot for braising, the slow cooking technique required to make them tender.
Stir Frying
In India, particularly with the numerous vegetable dishes that are served there, stir-frying is still a common cooking method. Indians cook on a deep pan called a kadhai that has a spherical bottom and handles on both sides, similar to the Asian wok. The tava is a cast-iron griddle that is another item commonly found in Indian kitchens. It has a small concavity. Many different types of flatbreads are cooked on a non-greased tava, which is frequently used for sautéing.
Baking
The north is where tandoor oven baking is most common. This clay oven is used for baking flatbreads as well as cooking meat, poultry, seafood, fish, or vegetables on skewers. It heats up quickly using wood or charcoal as fuel. Before cooking, items on skewers are marinated in a yogurt and spice mixture. After that, the skewers are dropped into the vat-shaped oven to begin cooking. Flatbreads are pressed firmly against the hot oven's inside walls, where they quickly cook.
Deep Frying
It heats food that is covered in fat by heat conduction and natural convection. Thus, deep-fried food, that golden brown delicacy, is introduced.
Steaming
One of the most popular cooking methods in the South is still steaming. The meals to be steamed are frequently wrapped in banana leaves. In the past, items wrapped in leaves were steamed in the embers of the fire, similar to the Mexican tamale. The majority of southern Indian kitchens now come with both large and small steaming pots as basic appliances.
Fresh seafood and fish are abundant on this peninsula because it is surrounded by a lot of rivers and oceans. The following methods are used to prepare seafood: grilling, poaching, baking, and steaming.
India is a country where fruits and vegetables are frequently preserved. In addition to functioning as an important component of an Indian meal, pickles, and chutneys serve to preserve the abundance of fruits and vegetables for lean times. In the hilly north, where severe winters shorten the growing season, food is dried. Salting is a different method of preservation that is regularly used to increase the amount of food that is accessible during times of scarcity.
Sauteing
A tiny amount of oil or fat is used in sautéing, which is done over a burner in a hot, shallow pan, to coat the food and provide equal browning. It is best to toss or flip the meal frequently because this method cooks food quickly. Jump is the English translation of the French word saute. Prior to adding any food to an oiled skillet for sautéing, make sure the pan is hot, do not pack the pan too full of ingredients, and stir or toss the food often.
Boiling
In order to cook food using this method, water must be heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the boiling point. Large bubbles created by the boiling water keep the food moving while it cooks. The term "slow boil" describes water that has just begun to form huge, slowly moving bubbles but has not yet reached the boiling point. At the boiling point, a full boil takes place, producing quick-moving, rolling bubbles. The water also releases steam as it begins to boil.
Dietary and Religious Considerations
India is home to Hindus, Muslims, and members of countless other religious groups, all of which have their own beliefs and dietary regulations. Pork is not eaten by Muslims. Hindus do not eat meat because they view cows as sacred animals. Hindus also hold the notion of reincarnation, which leads many of them to abstain from eating any meat. Members of the Jains, a different eastern religion that evolved from Hinduism, firmly believe in reincarnation. Therefore, those who practice that religion refrain from eating meat, fish, poultry, or eggs since an animal could have been a human being in a previous life.
Additionally, many people avoid eating root vegetables because digging them up could harm worms or other underground animals. Because red is associated with blood, they avoid foods like tomatoes and beets. Due to the numerous religious prohibitions against eating meat, Indian food is largely vegetarian.
Indian food is divided into state cuisine and regional cuisine according to its place of origin.
North Indian Region
1-Punjab
2-Chandigarh
3-Awadh, Lucknow
4-UP
5-Rajasthan
6-Jammu & Kashmir
7-Himachal Pradesh
8-Uttarakhand
South Indian Region
1-Hyderabad,
2-Telangana
3-Andhra Pradesh
4-Tamil Nadu
5-Chettinad
6-Kerala
7-Karnataka
8-Pondicherry
East Indian Region
1-Kolkata
2-West Bengal
3-Sikkim
4-Assam Manipur
5-Bihar
6- Jharkhand
West Indian Region
1-Goa
2-Gujarat
3-Maharashtra
4-Daman and Diu
Central Indian Region
1-Orissa
2-Madya Pradesh
3-Chhattisgarh
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