Friday, December 9, 2011

The Spicy Flavours of Indian Kitchens

India, through its cuisine has managed to transcend its borders, giving the world its aroma, colors, as a source of exotic spices. The Indian kitchen has maintained its flavors and traditions since years, due to cultural backgrounds and geographical determinants. The Indian culture can be known through its cuisine, which reveals the common aspects of its culture and traditions which have a unique authentic Indian inspiration, the Vedas.

The Indian curries are known throughout the world, but there is a wide variety of dishes that reflect its geography too. The Indian weddings are the best occasions to experience the taste of India. Every community organizes big feasts for the wedding, be it Bengali, Kerala or Marathi Matrimony. As per the taste of people and communities, India can be mainly divided into two zones: the Northern India and Southern India.

The North: The North Indian food forms the most famous Indian cuisine in the world, which is influenced by Mughals and Muslims. There is a mouth-watery and sumptuous range of vegetarian dishes in the North Indian cuisine. Tasty preparations of meat, including meat of goat, sheep, chicken, form the non vegetarian cuisine of Northern India. The tandoori dishes from Punjab are very popular in the entire India and also world. The dishes include spices like ginger, garlic, saffron, nutmeg, chili or cayenne, etc.

Southern Cuisine: The southern cuisine mainly involves dishes from states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Andhra, Maharashtra, etc. Wedding ceremonies like Marathi Matrimonial include vegetarian preparations predominantly, using grains and pulses, spices and condiments like chilies, coconut milk, tamarind, cinnamon, curry leaves, etc. All types of curries in South India include turmeric, which gives a characteristic colour and flavour.

The spices used in the curries can be dry or wet, and all the dishes make extensive use of oil, ghee, and other herbs.

Author: Rashmi Karan

No comments:

Post a Comment