Besides escaping for the simple pleasure of travelling, going to India is also a means of exchange and sharing. It is one of the best opportunities to leave one's own environment to go to other horizons in order to meet other populations, to discover and appreciate their heritage: traditions, customs, culture, etc. A country's cuisine is an integral part of its cultural heritage. Indeed, it can be a mirror of a country's cultural identity. Indian cuisine is one of the richest in the world.
Characteristic of Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine covers a wide range of regional Indian cuisines. They are all characterized by the spices, herbs, fruits and vegetables found in every region of the country, but also by history and religion. As a result of Jain or Hindu religious education, vegetarianism is widespread and this is also due to the fact that some religions such as Islam and Hinduism prohibit the consumption of pork and beef respectively. However, India's coastal regions use a lot of fish in their culinary specialities.
India's culinary specialities
North India is the region specialising in wheat and millet cultivation. This is why the dishes cooked in this part of the country are mainly made of bread. For example, there is the "naan" which is a bread of the Punjab tribe: the Sikh tribe. It is usually cooked in the tandoor or traditional oven and is scattered. It can also be filled with cheese, vegetables, meat or curry. You can also taste the "roast" which is toasted bread and the "poori" which is fried bread from the Bay of Bengal. The cuisine of northern India is also characterized by the presence of "ghee" which is a local butter. It is generally used to cook chicken or lamb.
In South India, the cuisine is mainly vegetarian and consists of dried vegetables, such as lentils, chickpeas, etc. This region of India has preserved a typical Indian culinary culture. Dishes from South India are considered very spicy and only steamed rice or yoghurt, milk and coconut in their various preparations can temper the fire. During a stay in South India, you can enjoy "Jhinga Malai" which is a curry dish of seafood curry with coconut milk or "Kitchiri": rice with lentils and vegetables that meets the demand of many vegetarians who live in South India.
Otherwise, in the eastern and western parts of the country, traditional Indian cuisine is based on seafood, lamb and chicken. In eastern India, the region is very famous for its desserts such as chum chum, sandesh or rassogola, which are Bengal specialities. Otherwise in the West, part of the region is desert (Rajasthan, Gujrat), so the dishes are often based on many varieties of vegetables: lentils, chickpeas, etc., and canned oil (pickles or achars), while another part runs along the ocean, so seafood is the main staple of the dishes.