India has a wide range of cuisine. India is known in the world for the use of spices in food. The “Indian curry” is famous all over the world. India is a vast country; therefore, there is a difference in cuisine in different parts of India. South Indian food has its own distinctive flavour, while North Indian food is different and spicier. Cuisine in different parts of India is influenced by the local culture that is prevalent there. It also depends on the vegetation found in a particular geographic region.

Indian cuisine has evolved over a period of time and is influenced by various cultures. As India came into contact with the outside world, it also influenced the cuisine of India.

The Middle East and Europe brought their flavor to Indian cuisine and it blended beautifully with Indian cuisine. Indian food has also been influenced by religious beliefs. India is home to many religions. Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism were born here. Islam and Christianity came too Jains and Buddhists are strict vegetarians, while Muslims and Christians use a lot of meat products in their food. All these influences have been mixed with the current cuisine of India.

Today, when someone visits India, they can expect all kinds of food in India. Apart from Indian food, Chinese, continental and other types of food are readily available in India. Today you can expect all kinds of restaurants in India. But still, people who visit India want to try Indian food and enjoy it.

The Ingredients of Indian Food: The common ingredients of Indian food are wheat, legumes, rice, gram, potatoes, various kinds of vegetables, meat, etc. These are cooked in ‘ghee’, mustard oil, sunflower oil and other vegetable oils. Various types of spices are used to cook these foods such as cumin, turmeric, chilli pepper, fenugreek, ginger and garlic. Indian curry made with various spices is world famous. Chicken curry is a popular Indian food.

Some Popular Indian Foods: The main foods that form a daily staple diet for Indians are various types of bread made mainly from wheat flour. Some of the popular breads are roomali roti, missi roti, aloo parantha, naan, etc. Non-vegetarian food is mainly made up of various types of preparation from chicken, goat meat, fish, etc. In vegetarian food, some of the popular curries are “Shahi Paneer, Matar Paneer, Navratan Korma, etc”. In snacks, “samosas and aloo tikkis” are very popular. India is also very popular for sweets. Some of the popular sweets are “Ras gulla, Rasmalai, barfi, gulab jamun, etc”. Kebabs are also very popular. It is liked mainly by the Muslim population. In the southern part of India, the main emphasis is on rice. Rice is the staple food there. Coconut is used in most foods. “sambar, rasam, dosa, idli, vada etc” are other very popular foods.

Indian cuisine attracts people from all over the world. In the UK alone there are over 10,000 Indian restaurants. There is a great influence of Indian cuisine in Malaysian cuisine. The vegetarianism that spread rapidly to the west can mainly contribute to Indian food. A variety of Indian foods have been introduced to the US Indian cuisine is loved all over the world.