Food is one of the cultural highlights of India, and each dish is a metamorphosis lasting centuries back, with its own tail of creation, cultural insights and grandma’s recipes. But if you have never visited India, or if you are an Indian and travelling to a new region, then this guide has especially been curated for you.
North Indian
This is a rather broad category consisting of types of food eaten in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh. The staple here is wheat, which is often consumed in the form of bread baked in tandoor(a type of oven made of clay). These breads are often enjoyed with lentils, vegetables, and often chicken. Delicacies that are worthy of trying are Butter Chicken, Rajma(kidney beans in a curry), kulfi(an ice cream made with milk and pistachios) and paranthas(stuffed flatbread)
South Indian
This type of cuisine is predominantly enjoyed in the states of Kerela, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana. The staple here is rice and is often consumed with a lot of different vegetables with Sambhar(a lentil based vegetable stew) being a constant. Other delicacies include Idli(a rice cake often consumed during breakfast), vada( a form of fried, crispy doughnut) and dosa(a pancake made from fermented rice and gramme batter, often stuffed with spicy potatoes). All of these can be enjoyed with Sambhar.
Costal Cuisine
This cuisine, as the name states in prominent along the coastline of the country, predominantly in the states of Goa, Kerela, Andhra Pradesh among others. Delicacies include kingfish, pomfret, tuna, mackerel, lobsters, shrimps, prawns among others, and are often cooked in coconut milk, and the use of spices is prominent.
Rajasthani Cuisine
As I travelled a lot through Rajasthan, I share a special bond with this dessert state, and also possess a particular bias for its culinary practices. As water is scarce, the food is often cooked in ghee or milk, thus offering a unique texture. Also, the use of grains like millet is really common. One of the most famous dish to originate from this region is daal-baati-churma(a type of hard bread served with lentils and a side of coarse, grounded wheat cooked in ghee and sugar). The other delicacies include kadhi(a dish cooked in gramme flour and yoghurt, served with vegetable fritters), and bhujia( a fried potato snack often consumed as a snack).
Though there are a lot of other cuisines which vary from state to state, each differing from the other in not one but several aspects and frankly makes it hard to mention each one of them in this article. We have tried to cover a lot of them under a single umbrella, and hence may have missed on a few. We are sorry for our ignorance.
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