Food Culture in India

Indian food culture is inseparable from its religious beliefs, forming a very unique style. Indian food is unique in the world. The magic of Indian cuisine lies in its variety of spices. Now, let's introduce some food culture in India.

Seasonings

Indians like to use seasonings in cooking, such as curry, chili, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, ginger, garlic, fennel, cinnamon, etc., among which the most common and most used is curry. Curry is also the most popular seasoning in India.

Curry

Curry powder is a spicy condiment made from more than 20 kinds of spices such as pepper, turmeric and fennel, and it is in the form of a yellow powder. Indians have a special liking for curry powder. Curry is used in almost every dish, like curry chicken, curry fish, curry potatoes, curry cauliflower, curry rice, curry soup, etc.

Staple Food

The staple food of India is mainly rice and scones. Southern India prefers rice, while scones are common in the north. The authentic Indian rice is made from a kind of rice that is famous in the world, called Basmati.

Basmati

Common varieties of scone include Nann, Roti, Paratha, Chapattis, Halwa, Dosa and various kinds of flour-baked bread and fried bread. Nann is the most popular scone in India, which can be found in high-end restaurants or ordinary homes' table. When eating scones, most Indians like to tear the scones into small pieces and roll them in bean soup or other dishes. Every household in India has an oven called tandoor.

Chapattis

Subsidiary Food

Meat

Due to religious reasons, Indians have different eating habits. Devout Hindus absolutely do not eat beef, because they regard cattle as sacred animal. Muslims do not eat pork, but eat beef. Indians respect each other's religious sentiments and avoid eating beef or pork, so chicken dishes and lamb dishes are very developed. The animal foods in the Indian diet are mainly derived from goat, lamb, chicken, fish, shrimp and seafood.

Indian Fried Rice

Vegetable

Many Indians are vegetarians for religious or economic reasons. Vegetables in the Indian diet include eggplant, tomatoes, onions, cauliflower, fresh peppers, beans, potatoes, cabbage, spinach, lentils, etc. The favorite of Indians is sweet potato, which is regarded as "the best product in dishes". A kind of lentils called dal is also often used in cooking.　

Since there are more vegetarians, fruits and nuts play an important role in the daily diet of India. Indians like banana trees very much, because bananas and the cores of banana trees can be eaten, the fiber can be woven, and the banana leaves can also be used as food plates. Replace plates with clean banana leaves for serving food has long been a feature of the Indian diet.

Fruit

Mangoes have the highest status among fruits in India. People use mangoes as raw materials to make various pickles, chutneys, candies, fruit juices, preserved fruits, fruit wine and jams. Mango is also often used as a tribute. Indians regard mangoes as part of their cultural heritage. The heads or celebrities of many countries in the world have received the best mango "Almanso" from the Indian leaders.

Beverages

Beverages in India are varied. In the south, people like to drink strong coffee because it is close to the coffee producing area. In the north, people like to drink tea. The two beverages are always served with milk and sugar. If you don't add milk and sugar to your tea, you should ask for "light tea". Fresh fruit juice is generally liked by Indians. Chai (Milk tea) and Lassi (yogurt) are also popular drinks. Alcohol in India is not as popular as in Western countries. In many provinces, especially in areas where Muslims live, drinking liquor is prohibited outside hotels and restaurants.

Indian Tea

The flavor of India Cuisine

Indian cuisine seems to have a wide variety of categories, which can be roughly divided into three types: non-spicy, slightly spicy and spicy.

Eating with hands

Eating with hands is an essential habit of traditional Indians. They said that using fingers can fully mix rice and vegetable juice to achieve the best taste of food, but spoons cannot fully blend the two ingredients. After a meal, Indians usually bring guests a bowl of hot water on the table for guests to wash their hands.

Pilaf

Eating with hands is a very particular custom. In the past, Indians used their left hand after going to the toilet, so they could only use a clean right hand when eating, passing food or shaking hands with people. Although pilaf is still the main way of eating in Indian families, most families will provide guests with forks and spoons. In more formal restaurants, Indians will also use tableware.

Taboo

Hindus regard the kitchen as one of the sacred places. They must take off their shoes when they enter the kitchen. This is related to their religious beliefs. When cooking, do not touch any cooking utensils to taste. The taste of the food should be observed by eyes or put a little bit into the mouth with their right hand to taste. In their view, after the food is cooked, they should ask God to eat it first, and then people can eat it. This is why they can't touch the cooking utensils with mouth when cooking.