INDIAN FOOD.!!

                                  INDIAN FOOD

Indian food is different from rest of the world not only in taste but

also in cooking methods. It reflects a perfect blend of various
cultures and ages . Just like Indian culture, food in India has also
been influenced by various civilizations, which have contributed
their share in its overall development and the present form.
Foods of India are better known for its spiciness. Throughout India,
be it North India or South India, spices are used generously in food.
But one must not forget that every single spice used in Indian
dishes carries some or the other nutritional as well as medicinal
properties.
North Indian Food
Food in the north India, to
begin with, Kashmiri cuisines
reflect strong Central Asian
influences. In Kashmir, mostly
all the dishes are prepared
around the main course of rice
found abundantly in the
beautiful valley. Another
delicious item cooked here is
the ' Saag ' that is prepared with a green leafy vegetable known as
the ' Hak'.
But on the other hand states like the Punjab, Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh show high consumption of chapatis as staple food. Again,
these chapatis are prepared with a variety of flours such as wheat,
rice, maida, besan etc. Besides chapatis other closely related
breads baked in these regions include Tandoori , Rumaali and Naan
etc. However in the northern region impact of Mughlai food is quite
obvious.
West Indian Food
In western India, the desert cuisine is famous for its unique taste
and varieties of food. Rajasthan and Gujarat are the states that
represent the desseert flavor of Indian food. Here an immense
variety of dals and achars (pickles/preserves) is used that simply
substitutes the relative lack of fresh vegetables in these areas.
In the states like Maharashtra , the food is usually a mix of both
north as well as south cooking styles. Here people use both the rice
and the wheat with same interest. Along the coastline of Mumbai a
wide variety of fishes is available. Some of the delicious
preparations include dishes like the Bombay Prawn and Pomfret .
In Goa , that is further down towards south, one can notice
Portuguese influence in the cooking style as well as in the dishes.
Some of the major dishes of this regiun are the sweet and sour
Vindaloo , duck baffad, sorpotel and egg molie etc.
East Indian Food
In the eastern India, the Bengali and
Assamese styles of cooking are noticeable.
The staple food of Bengalis is the yummy
combination of rice and fish. Usually the
Bengalis love eating varieties of fishes. A
special way of preparing the delicacy known
as ' Hilsa ' is by wrapping it in the pumpkin
leaf and then cooking it. Another unusual
ingredient that is commonly used in the
Bengali cooking is the 'Bamboo Shoot'.
Various sweets prepared in this region, by
using milk include the ' Roshogollas', ' Sandesh', ' Cham-cham ' and
many more.
South Indian Food
In the southern India, the states make great use of spices, fishes
and coconuts, as most of them have coastal kitchens. In the foods
of Tamil Nadu use of tamarind is frequently made in order to impart
sourness to the dishes. It simply distinguishes the Tamil Food from
other cuisines.
The cooking style of Andhra Pradesh is supposed to make
excessive use of chilies, which is obviously to improve the taste of
the dishes.
In Kerala , some of the delicious dishes are the lamb stew and
appams , Malabar fried prawns , Idlis , Dosas , fish molie and rice
puttu . Another famous item of this region is the sweetened coconut
milk. Yet another dish is Puttu, which is glutinous rice powder
steamed like a pudding in a bamboo shoot