Indian cuisine has tempted the lips to get smacked up and get into action of tasting the yummy delicacies.

The Indian food and recipes have overwhelmed every part of this world with their fragrances.

Like its culture, art and craft, the cuisine is explicitly diverse. Amidst the fete of mouth-watering dishes, here is the brief account of the delicacies and specialties from all over India.

So, sharpen your taste buds and get ready with your fingers to grab the first bite of the finest of Indian cuisines.

BENGALI FOOD – it comprises mainly rice and fish dishes. Lots of spices and condiments are use to flavor the food and that too in a good amount. In Bengal, a typical pungent smelling mustard oil is use to cook the food. Sweets are the main attraction of Bengal. Famous sweets like rasgulla, rasmalai, sandesh and many more are considered as the best desserts in the world. Over here, all the preparations are usually served in one platter. Bengal cuisine uses almost every part of fish. They prepare fish through different procedures. Besides fish, lamb and chicken are eaten too.

KASMIRI FOOD – it comes from the north Indian state of Kashmir. The food is flavored by aromatic spices and condiments like cinnamon, cardamom, Kashmir saffron and cloves. The specialty is the creamy and spicy sauce called korma in the dishes. Among the non-vegetarian dishes, mutton of an older lamb is very popular. Some dishes are culturally important over here.

PUNJABI FOOD – this type of preparation though seen in Punjab state, but is commonly identified as an Indian food. The meals served here are the basic food in Indian homes, particularly in north. The meals include chicken, chapatti, dal, curried vegetables and yogurt. The food is basically prepared in lot of onion, tomato, cumin, mustard, garlic, ginger and such aromatic flavors. Milk is a very common part of Punjabi food. It is served in many forms like yogurt, sweet blended curd and home made white butter. Punjabi food is served on roadside small hotels called dhaba at city borders. Dhaba is frequently visited by the travelers.

RAJASTHANI FOOD – it comes from the north-western part of India. As it is a harsh arid region, fresh vegetables lack over here. For that, garlic, asafetida and fresh onions are used to enhance the flavor. Rajasthan cuisines include meals of dry fruits and desserts. The food includes the dish of gram flour. The meals are given red bright color with the use of red colorful chili. The cuisine includes native crops like berry, millets and cluster beans. Marwari cuisine is also originated from this place. This food is exclusively vegetarian. The famous over here is ‘dal baati’. Baati is a bread made from wheat, semolina, oil, spices etc. It is then eaten by dipping into thick dal. Other famous dishes are red color meat, ladoo etc.

GUJARATI FOOD – this style of food comes from north-western part of India. It includes the array of plethora of vegetarian dishes. The meals are prepared with sweet and spicy flavors. Famous delicacies are dhokla, khandvi, khaman patra, etc. and desserts include basundi, malpua etc. The most famous dessert is shrikhand.

GOAN FOOD – this food comes from the western India around Goa. The dishes are blend of Portuguese as well as southern Indian coastal cuisine. Beef and pork are readily available and are staple Goa food. Besides this, rice and seafoods like crab, lobster tuna etc. are much prevalent here. To flavor the food coconut and coastal hot spices are used. Famous dishes of Goa are vindaloo, fish curry and vegetable stew.

MAHARASHTRIAN FOOD – this cuisine is also known as Marathi food. This type of food is mainly prepared in the peanut oil. To flavor the food, grated coconut, peanuts and cashew nuts are used. Famous Marathi or Maharashtra dishes include Bhel puri, steamed dumpling dessert called modak and varan.

SOUTH INDIAN FOOD – this cuisine is a combination of dishes from various states of southern India.

Tamil Nadu – plethora of vegetarian dishes is prevalent here. The famous dishes are Idlis, dosas, sambhar and vada. The tempting garnishing with oil, mustard seeds, coconut, dried red chilies and black gram is similar for most of the dishes.

The Malabar Coast – the food over here has the pungent aroma of spices like cardamom, cinnamon, clove and black pepper which have lured many foreigners. Rice is the main food in south. The readily available coconut, fish and root tubers leads the culinary creation of the south.

Kerala – the staple food is fish with steaming rice. Banana chips and jackfruit chips are the most appreciated snacks over here.

Andhra – the cuisine here has the Mughal impact. The dishes are hot and spicy like kebabs and briyanis. The home-made pickles, papads and dry chutney powder are served with the main food.

Though some regional cuisines are specified above, there is no single standard and homogeneous Indian cuisine. All the meals from all regions are shared or blended to discover new flavor.

Hi this is Shipra, a house wife. I like to write articles and same time dedicated to my family. Being a mother of two young daughters this is the best job I can afford to do. I am thankful to the Ezine for supporting my talent and giving me the appropriate platform.

Author: Shipra Garg
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If one nation’s cuisine has been welcomed to Britain more naturally than any other, it’s Indian cooking. The foreign style of cooking has been so successfully adopted here that chicken tikka masala is often cited as being Britain’s favourite dish!

For those heading out on a luxury India holiday, the food is indeed worthy of celebration. If you generally go for the hottest curry on the menu, be warned that even the hottest is made more mild for English tastes, so you could be in for quite the surprise!

One more thing, I’m often hear people asking if it’s safe to eat the meat in India, and there are many people who will go vegetarian for their India holiday. The vast majority of travellers I know who have eaten the meat have been fine, but there are some tips to take for the paranoid: avoid roadside eateries and small shacks (where hygiene is often less a priority) and don’t eat pork and prawns (which if not prepared properly can be nasty.) It’s also a good bet to eat in busier restaurants, because this means that the food will be fresher, and will not have been stood around for so long!

Anyway, here is a guide to the types of food you can expect from each area of the country…

Customs and Table Manners

The first thing to be aware of is that the majority of food in India is actually eaten with the hands. Knives and forks may be provided in some areas, but it’s not uncommon to be simply provided with the food. Despite the apparent table manner anarchy that this implies, there are a number of customs and table manner requirements that you should be aware of: Only the right hand should be used, food should not pass the first joint on any finger, and the fingers should never come into direct contact with the mouth during your India tour if you don’t want to be thought of as rude.

The Best of Each Region

Although Indian restaurants in the UK combine all the imported dishes onto one menu, in the country itself the best cuisine is neatly separated by its area of origin. Here’s what you can expect in each region on a luxury holiday to India:

Punjabi

Punjab is famous for its tandoori cooking style – large earthen ovens that cook various meats, breads and vegetable dishes inside, giving the ingredients a distinctive flavour and aroma. The state also has developed many lamb and chicken dishes, coated in spicy onion and mustard or sweet cream sauces. If you’ve visiting here, be sure to try some genuine tandoori cooking on your tour of India!

Gujarati

The food round here is mostly vegetarian, so meat eaters may want to avoid it on their tour of India! Gujarati food is usually served as a thali – which is everything served on a single plate. A typical thali meal consists of two vegetables, cooked in spices, dahl (a kind of pulse soup), flatbread, rice, pulses and something sweet.

Maharashtrian

If the vegetarian Gujarati diet doesn’t sound right for your India tour, then the meat and fish fare of Maharashtrian may be right up your street. Fish is generally stuffed or fried, while meat is typically braised and spiced. Peanuts and cashews are also often used, alongside the kokum berry (sweet and tangy). Oh the coast of the region, the focus moves to seafood with crabs, prawns and shellfish proving popular.

Bengali

Bengali food is known for being based on fish and sweets. The fish is typically sautéed in yoghurt or marinated in the famous Bengal spice mixture. The five spices favoured in Bengali cooking are aniseed, cumin, black cumin, mustard and fenugreek.

Bengal was the birthplace of the majority of Indian sweets, so this is the place to get your fill. Most of these are based on milk or cottage cheese, and are often served with a sticky sweet syrup. Just as Indian food is spicy for British tastes, the sweets are very, very sweet – many visitors may find them just too sickly for a western palette on holiday in India.

Karela

Food from Karela is certainly unique – it’s traditionally served upon a large banana leaf, and is still served this way for feasts! Coconuts are popular in this region, and give savoury dishes a delightful sweetness alongside their spiciness. Rice is the main staple of this, and the remainder of southern India, with various preparations.

And what should you drink with these fine dishes? Well, tea is popular, but unsurprisingly takes a spicy twist, often prepared with sugar, milk and a mix of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. If you want something sweeter on your India holiday, lassi is an option. This is a yogurt or buttermilk based drink either served straight or seasoned with mango or rose.

Wherever you go on your tour of India, the cuisine is a delight. Due to the extra spiciness though, my advice is to start mild and work your way upwards!

Kieron Sellens is the marketing manager of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AiTO). With AITO’s luxury India holidays, you can tailor-make the dream holiday.

Author: Kieron Sellens
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Bengali food is an ancient cuisine dating back to early Buddhism. It is made up of the cooking of West Bengal, which is part of India, and East Bengal, which is part of Bangladesh. In early Buddhist and Bengali writings of the 10th and 11th century, there is mention of the abundance of produce that could be derived from good agriculture.

Although rice is a staple food throughout Bengal, there are two distinct styles of Bengali cooking. In East Bengali food, there is great emphasis on fish and dal (a spicy bean stew that is a mainstay of the area). The food of West Bengal is distinguished by the liberal use of poppy seeds.

Much of the distinctive taste of Bengali food comes from the mustard plant and mustard oil. Mustard is used in three ways: The oil is used to fry foods, the greens are used as a cooked vegetable, and the seeds are crushed to make a hot spice.

Fish and prawns are very common in both cuisines. West Bengalis usually get their fish farm-raised from estuaries, while East Bengalis get the majority of their fish from the big rivers of the region.

This fish stew recipe uses ingredients and cooking techniques common to both West and East Bengal, and is very popular in both cuisines. Many Bengali cooks will add a couple of vegetables to the dish, such as eggplant and potatoes that are diced small. Some ingredients have been changed to accommodate Western availability.

Spicy Bengali Fish Stew

Ingredients:

Salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon hot paprika

1 1/4 pounds cod, sea bass, or halibut steaks, cut into 2-inch cubes

3 tablespoons mustard oil (can be found in Indian or Bengali markets) or vegetable oil

4 medium onions, finely chopped

4 large garlic cloves, crushed

4 fresh green chiles (jalapenos or finger-like chiles), seeded and finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon

1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and grated through the largest holes of a grater.

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup whole plain yogurt

Directions:

On a plate, mix together the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the turmeric, and the paprika. Dredge the fish steaks on both sides of the mixture.

In a large skillet, heat the mustard oil (or vegetable oil) over medium-high heat. Brown the fish on both sides, turning once, for about 3 minutes total. Remove and set aside.

Add the onions and garlic to the skillet. Cook until soft, or about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chiles, cumin, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then add the tomatoes, cilantro, and water. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the sauce is thick, or about 15 minutes.

Add the yogurt and salt to taste and stir to blend. Return the fish to the skillet and simmer, covered, until the fish flakes, or about 10 minutes. Be careful that the broth never gets too hot, as the yogurt will separate. Serve immediately, over rice if desired.

Billy Bristol is the writer and editor for Spicy Cooking, a website devoted to hot spices, spicy foods, blazing cooking, the hottest cuisines around the world, and “knock-your-socks-off fiery recipes that all chile-heads and chili-head wannabes will love. Spicy Cooking will fire up taste buds and scorch your plate…Guaranteed.

Spicy Cooking Author: Billy Bristol