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Becoming Acquainted with Indian Cooking

Indian cuisine is very diverse due to the varied population of the country. Often, Indian cooking is distinguished by the use of vegetables and significant use of spices than much other well-known cuisine. There is an enormous variety of local cooking styles in the country.

North Indian meal consists of "chapattis" or "rotis" and rice with a vast range of side dishes like- "dal", "chutney", "achar" and "yoghurt". Milk based sweets are popular here.

South Indian dishes are mostly rice-based, "sambhar" and curries being important side dishes. Coconut is an important ingredient in all South Indian cooking. The use of tamarind to add sourness distinguishes Tamil food.

In the rain-swept regions of the northeastern foothills and along the coasts, a large variety of rice is used.

Fish and coconuts are mainly used in almost all coastal kitchens. The desert cuisine of Rajasthan and Gujarat use an immense variety of "dal" and "achar" as substitute of fresh vegetables.

Most people's experience with Indian cooking can be summed up in three words: curry, curry, curry. But Indian cuisine is as varied as India's geography, climate, religion, and culture. From the meaty, warm tandoori dishes of Northern India to the mostly vegetarian, saucy Southern dals (legume-based dishes), no two of India's regions are alike.

The four Indian culinary regions

As with any country, India's culinary regions are known for their own delicacies. However, you may have a tough time finding a restaurant that serves these delicacies in the home region. Culturally, Indians usually leave the regional cooking at home and venture out for what they don't make at home. So a family in the southern state of Goa would not go to a restaurant down the street to try a Goan vindaloo curry. They would prefer their own family recipe, but would dine in a restaurant to sample the northern tandoori delicacies.

Following is a brief overview of the various culinary regions in India.

• Northern India (roughly made up of the six states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir): This area boasts the most familiar mix of regional dishes, including the ever-popular tandoori-style cooking. The typical Indian restaurant in the West owes most of its menu selections to this region, including koftas (spicy meatballs), kormas (meats braised in creamy sauces of yogurts and fruits), and the luxuriously chewy, leavened bread, naan. Garam masala is a typical spice blend used here, more warming than fiery. Basmati rice is the favorite choice in the north, but breads are the primary starch in this wheat-growing region.
• Southern India, composed of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala: Southern Indian cooking characterized by fiery spice blends, such as vindaloo, and a reliance on legumes, including lentils and chickpeas. Although the southern diet is primarily vegetarian, the people here may add meat for celebrations and special occasions. Rice grows well here, and the fragrant jasmine variety is present in almost every dish during a meal, even dessert!
• Eastern India, including the states of Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. The region is famous for Darjeeling tea and Mother Teresa. This hot, humid region along the Bay of Bengal has cultivated as many as 50 different varieties of rice. Coconuts and bananas are popular ingredients; coconut milk often substitutes for cow's or goat's milk.
• Western India (Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra): Dairy products, including yogurt, buttermilk, cow's milk, and goat's milk, are staples in the western diet. Along the coastline of the Arabian Sea, you can sample the popular "Bombay Duck," which is actually a small, transparent fish. You'll also find a dizzying array of pickles, served with every meal.

What all these regions share is a reliance on locally available foods. For example, in the south, rice grows in abundance. The southern population tends to prepare more liquid curries and sauces because rice is a highly absorbent, always present element at virtually every meal. In the north, where wheat grows, the sauces are thicker and served with unleavened flat bread, or parantha. Additionally, southern farmers enjoy heavy rainfall and a seemingly endless array of vegetables, making a vegetarian diet very common. While their northern neighbors at the foothills of the Himalayas add lamb to their diet, their coastal cousins enjoy fish and other seafood regularly.

The influence of religion on eating habits can't be ignored. Hindus and Sikhs do not eat beef, as they regard the cow as a sacred animal. Specific sects of Hinduism are strict vegetarians and won't eat food that even resembles meat (such as tomatoes, beets, and watermelon) or foods that are often associated with meat (such as onions and garlic). Other religions within India (primarily Muslims and Jews) are prohibited from eating pork.

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