Indian Cuisine
Uploaded by
ScribdTranslationsIndian Cuisine
Uploaded by
ScribdTranslationsINDIAN CUISINE
The Asian continent, through its cuisine, has managed to transcend its borders, providing the world with its
aromas and colors; as a source of the most exotic spices.
China, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Korea, Japan,
Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and India have managed to maintain their flavors and customs for millennia, with
much in common but with particular characteristics. due to determining cultural and geographical bases.
By getting to know India through its cuisine, the common trait of all the multiple aspects of its culture is
revealed: authentic Hindu traditions have a single source of inspiration, the Vedas, which are the sacred
books.
India stands out among all for its “curries” known throughout the world, but the diversity of dishes that reflect its
geography is wide.
India can be divided into 2 zones: Northern India and Southern India.
The Septentrional , the one from the north, the best known in Hindu restaurants in the world, influenced by
Mughals and Muslims, with the consumption of meats, such as goats, lambs, chickens, never cows since it is
considered sacred throughout the territory, typical preparations such as “tandooris” (meats are marinated in
yogurt and spices then cooked at high temperatures) made in “tandoor” ovens, koftas (spiced meatballs),
kormas (meats cooked together with yogurt sauces and fruits or nuts) , garam masala (mixture of spices), roti
(breads), chapati (flat bread), etc.; using ghee (clarified butter) as the base fat for all cooking.
Southern cuisine , from the South, with areas such as Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil, Nadu, Goa with predominantly
vegetarian preparations, using grains and legumes, spices and condiments such as chilies, coconut milk,
tamarind, cinnamon, leaves of curry, etc..., the basic fatty medium is oil, not ghee, although it is frequently
steamed. Also very common are all those preparations called dhal, a mixture of legumes and spices, (although
the word dhal designates peas, such as Greek lentils, black beans, mung beans, etc...), the fiery vindaloo
(spiced meats and macerated in wine and vinegar).
Generalities of Indian cuisine
Sauces.
It is distinguished by its high proportion of the use of dairy products as an ingredient in different dishes, among
which the most common are: milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yogurt. The use of concentrated meat
broth sauces is greater, in addition to milk products as co-binders for cashew and poppy seed-based pastas.
Dairy is a specialty in Bengal and Orissa.
Other common ingredients include chili peppers, saffron, and walnuts.
The tawa or grill used to cook various flat breads such as roti and paratha, as well as the use of the tandur (a
cylindrical oven heated with charcoal) to cook naan, kulcha and khakhra breads; or dishes like tandoori
chicken. Other very popular breads, puri and bahtoora, are fried in oil. The foods that are put as ingredients in
North Indian dishes are, for the most part, vegetarian. Fish and seafood are also very popular in the coastal
states of Orissa and West Bengal. Samosas are a very typical appetizer from northern India, although they can
now be found, as a general rule, in almost all of India. The most common samosa is made with mashed potato
inside, although it is also possible to find other fillings.
Food in the form of stews in the north generally uses a variety of lentils, vegetables, and roti (bread with wheat
flour dough). The varieties used and the method of making them vary greatly from one place to another. Some
of the most popular North Indian dishes are: Buknu, Gujiya, chaat, daal ki kachauri, yalebi, imarti, some pickles
(known as achar), murabba, sharbat, pana, aam papad and poha.
There are some popular sweets (mithai) like gulab jamun , bal mithai , balusahi , falooda , gajak , gulqand ,
khaja , khurchan , kulfi , milk cake, peda , petha , ras malai , rewdi , singori , and various varieties of laddu ,
barfi and halwa . There are varieties of kebab. Many of the meat dishes are influenced by Muslim customs.
Formerly, Pakistan and Bangladesh were members of the northern and eastern region, just before the partition
of India. As a result, the cuisines in these countries are very similar to the customs and uses of Northern
cuisine.
Southern cuisine
A typical South Indian breakfast, sambhar and vada are served on a banana leaf.
It is distinguished by its emphasis on the use of rice as a central element, coconut and leaves to make its oil,
as well as the ubiquitous sambar and rasam (also called saaru ) in meals. The practice of naivedia (the ritual of
offering food to the statue of the god Krishna in the eight Ashta Matha temple) in Udupi, Karnataka, left a style
of its own known as Udupi style. The variety of dishes offered to the god motivates cooks to be innovative. The
traditional cuisine of Udupi Ashtamatha is characterized by the use of local seasonings.
Garam masala is associated with Southern cuisine.
Some more common appetizers are: dosas , idli , vada , bonda and bajji . Southern cuisine is not limited to the
use of these dishes. Andhra, Chettinad, Hyderabad, Mangalore and Kerala cuisines have their distinctive
elements and different ways of cooking.
Gastronomy in the West
English cuisine had a strong influence in this area, originating as a fusion from the British Raj. This is the
reason why there are some Indian restaurants in London in the elegant and traditional areas of the city, due to
the British officers who offered exotic Indian varieties in their restaurants. In the 20th century there was a
second phase in the development of Anglo-Indian cuisine: families from Bangladesh migrated to London.
Some of these restaurants opened on Brick Lane. In certain places in England, the influx of immigrants from
India in the mid-20th century, such as in Birmingham, led to the creation of their own style of cuisine, called
balti, which is served in the so-called Balti houses , becoming very popular in the seventies.
Customs during the meal
There are some customs about how to behave when eating and how food should be consumed. Traditionally,
eating was done sitting on the floor or lying on mats, the food was picked up from the plate with four fingers of
the right hand (except for the index finger, which is considered dirty). Nowadays these traditions are fading and
little by little food is eaten with a fork and spoon (the spoon is very important in Indian cuisine).
Indian cuisine around the world
Indian cuisine has spread widely throughout the world, one of the places where you can try Indian cuisine
outside of India is in England, a tradition that comes from British rule in India for several centuries. At this time,
many of the British officers returning from the colonies opened restaurants in London offering exotic dishes.
In the 1960s the spread and popularity of the cuisine increased and soon pseudo-Indian dishes such as
chicken tikka masala would appear. In the US, Indian cuisine began to spread in the 1970s in New York City.
The forms:
Within Indian cuisine, apart from the cooking methods known to everyone (frying, roasting, boiling, sautéing...),
we find other traditional ones that have been maintained over the years such as the following:
The korma ; It's like a faster-cooking braise. They are made with cream, yogurt, heavy cream, coconut milk
and the result is thick.
The tandoor It is the best-known method of Indian cooking, although it is used throughout the Middle East. It is
a roast that is made in a clay oven, which, thanks to the high temperatures it reaches, cooks the food so
quickly that it prevents it from drying out. Foods made in the tandoor are always marinated first with a mixture
of spices and yogurt.
The curry ; It is a meat, fish or vegetable stew. Very spicy, slow cooking and thick.
In addition to these characteristic methods, Indian cuisine also has particular techniques such as:
The baghaar ; It consists of incorporating spices and other aromas into ghee while it is very hot, so that they
leave their aromas in it. This ghee or flavored oil can be added at the beginning or at the end of cooking.
The dum ; It consists of hermetically closing the container in which it has been cooked and placing it between
hot embers below and above (on the lid), so that the different aromas come together and merge into one.
The Dhungar It consists of giving a smoky taste to a dish. When a certain preparation is ready, it is sprinkled
with ghee or oil and when it starts to smoke, it is placed inside the container and closed airtight. This way the
smoke enters the food giving it the smoky flavor.
