Food habits are also influenced by religious and cultural choices, and traditions. India is an amalgamation of many cultures due to trades, and invasions. The culture has been influenced by a history that is several millennia old, and the cuisine has been influenced by Persians, Mughals, Arabs and Europeans.If we look at the map of India, the four distinct regions are very clear. The Northern region consists of enchanting Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
Gujarat and Maharashtra lie in the west. East covers West Bengal and Orissa. And the South includes Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Generally Indian cuisine can be split into five main categories - Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and North-eastern. I will introduce you to Bengali cuisine in particular, which falls in the eastern category, but there is nothing wrong in exploring the other regional cooking styles and flavours. Every state is almost a country by itself, and each has its own cuisine!
The main crops of the plains are rice and wheat. Other important crops are maize, sugarcane, cotton and many more. A number of food-grains, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables grow on the fertile land. Because of the range of diversity in soil type, climate, and occupations, India has a wide variety of regional cuisines. Food habits vary depending on the locally available herbs and spices, vegetables and fruits.
Eastern and Southern parts of India depend heavily on rice as their staple, because the climate is perfect for producing rice. But North and West states grow more wheat which becomes their staple food-item. So in Bengal, we are used to eating rice for both lunch and dinner, whereas in Punjab, chapatis made of wheat or maize are all they need for everyday requirements. Interestingly, in South India, they have a crunchy crepe-style pancake which is called " Dosa", and which is made of ground rice and lentils blended together.The Northern part which is mountainous land, cuisine is so much different from the South, because South is mostly coastal area, close to the oceans .
The people in the North of India use a lot of tomatoes and onions in their cooking, while the people in the Southern part use plenty of coconut and tamarind. The reason must be the availability of those vegetables due to the natural surroundings. Jammu and Kashmir in the Himalayan region is the ever-mysterious, ever-coveted part of the country which may brag of a totally Mughal cuisine. I had been fortunate to travel to Jammu and Kashmir, stayed in the houseboats on Dal Lake, and savoured those exquisite mughlai dishes.
Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, is as captivating as Switzerland in Europe. The lake, the valley, the mountains, the Mughal gardens (planned by the Mughal emperor Shahjehan) are breathtaking! The food in the region is influenced by the royal cuisine of Mughal emperors. The aromatic meat dishes such as Rogan Josh, Seekh Kabab, Chicken Pulao have their origins in Persia, and some of the vegetable dishes such as Dum Aloo (Potato), Palak Paneer (Cheese and Spinach) are no less appetizing. Kashmir is famous for growing walnuts; so Walnut Chutney is a favourite condiment.
I grew up in West Bengal, but later lived in Northern India for a couple of years. I found a difference in ingredients, such as rice and vegetables, when we moved to Delhi, the capital of India. The most popular rice we find in North America is "Basmati" (meaning " Flavourful" in Hindi), but in Bengal the most common everyday rice is Boiled Rice.
The most staple food in India is rice, but it has many different varieties. First of all, rice can be boiled or parboiled. I found a lot of people are confused about what that means. Parboiled rice is partially boiled in the husk. In this process the raw rice or paddy is dehusked by using steam. The process generally changes the colour of the rice, and it is the most nutritious variety.