Indian Specialties

The Indian cuisine is principally characterized by the use of various spices, herbs and other vegetables grown in India. These ingredients are also very used because there are a lot of Indian people which are vegetarians. Each region of India has got its own assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. But everywhere Indian cuisine is often spicy.

The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (which is whole wheat flour), and an important variety of pulses. The most known are the masoor (redlentil), the chana (bengal gram), the toor (yellow gram), the urad (black gram) and the mung (green gram). Pulses are used extensively in the form of dal (split). Some can also be processed into flour.

Indian cuisine is using a lot the curry spice. Most Indian curries are cooked in vegetable oil. In North and West India, people use traditionally peanut oil for cooking while in Eastern India; it is the mustard oil which is the more commonly used. In the country, they use too coconut, sunflower or soybean oils.

The most frequently used spices in India are chili pepper, black mustard seed, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, coriander and garlic. The popular spice mix called garam masala, is usually a powder of five or more dried spices, commonly including cardamom, cinnamon and clove. Each region has a distinctive blend of garam masala. Some leaves are also commonly used like teipat (cassia leaf), coriander leaf, fenugreek leaf, and mind leaf into meals. In South India, they commonly use curry leaves and curry roots. Sweet dishes are seasoned with cardamom, saffron, nutmeg and rose petal essences.

Many Hindus are vegetarian. For Hindus, cows are sacred and for Muslims pigs are unclean, so beef and pork are not usually served, either in restaurants or in private.

The typical lunch in South India is like that: soup as an appetizer; a little rice with plain dhaal (vegetables) curry and ghee (sort of butter); rice mixed with a lean but spicy gravy for vegetarian meals or chicken/mutton/seafood gravy; rice mixed with rasam (dish in liquid form with herbs and spices, tamarind paste, turmeric and/or tomato); rice with curd (yoghurt); and to finish, fruit and beetle leaves/nuts.