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While the
gushtaba of Kashmir stands out for its uniqueness in taste
and style, the world-famous Sarson ka Saag with Makke
ki roti from Punjab is simply mouth-watering. The ruggedness
of Rajasthan is reflected in its dhal bhati. The music
of Bengal flows in its Machh Bhaat. The indulgence of
Awadh wafts out of its Kakori Kebabs. Who can resist the
temptation of having pao bhaaji in Mumbai or fish curry
rice in Goa. Or its cake called bebinca that has no peers
anywhere in the world. Not to forget the flavour of biryani
cooked with succulent pieces of mutton or chicken in the
Hyderbad. You can still eat like the Nawabs there! The
very mention of the north-east India reminds one of the
bamboo shoot curry. Drink Sattoo in Bihar lest we lose
out on food to drink! Gandhi’s Gujarat too rolled
out its dhokla and shreekhand to establish its signature
through food. There are hundreds of such other signature
dishes of smaller regional cultural identities.
India is perhaps one country that can provide to a traveller
the experience of snow-covered peaks, deserts and sand
dunes, serene riverside, playful seaside beaches and rugged
jungle safaris at any given time of the year. This has
indeed impacted the culinary styles of different regions
in the country. The cold Kashmir weather demanded that
the food contain ingredients to fight off the cold; a
lot of heat-generating spices and saffron found their
way into the cuisine. Similarly the hot weather of Rajasthan
and Gujarat required lighter foods, so we find Gujarati
dishes with thin gravy. The natural presence of fish in
coastal areas, bamboo in the north-east, rice or wheat
in areas producing them converted these foods into the
staple diet of people living in those regions. In fact
food combines with the festivals too to create those stunning
sweets that have become special only to India. Like a
gujiya will mark the Holi, Kheer-puri shall be served
at Diwali, ukdiche modak is served during Ganesh festival
and Shreekhand at Dusshera. Similarly, Bengalis indulge
in Sandesh during the Pooja season (Dusshera) and Tamils
churn out exciting pongal. Cakes are centric to the Christian
festivals of Christmas and Easter, while sweet sivaiyans
mark the Id festival of the Muslims.
In Kashmiri cuisine, the locally grown dry-fruit is used
abundantly in sweetmeats. The traditional Wazwan, a combination
of aromatic dishes is perhaps food for the gods. Gushtaba
is white-coloured meat balls in thin red curry; Tabak
Maas is roasted spare ribs with a unique taste; yakhni
is mutton with the flavour of aniseed, cumin, and cardamom;
pulao is rice and mutton, |
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cooked in the flavour of spices
secreted from the spice bag put in the utensil while
cooking. Here, spices are not mixed; the flavour percolates.
Punjabi cuisine uses the tandoor effectively. The huge
earthen oven is used to dish out tandoori chicken, paneer
Tikka, Chicken tikka et el. The Punjabi tandoori roti
with a generous helping of home-made white butter goes
well with such food. Food in villages is simple, dal
makhni, sarson ka saag, rajmah (kidney beans) and a
variety of stuffed parathas being the staple fare. Lassi,
sweet or salted, is usually an accompaniment replacing
juice, tea or coffee.
Bengali cuisine is dominated
by fish. Whether marinated or cooked in curd, fish is
the most celebrated part of a Bengali dining table.
Not to forget the massive contribution of Bengali sweets
to the Indian palate. Sandesh, rassogullas, Gulabjamuns,
Chamcham, Chena Murki, Anarkali, and Mishti Doi are
the shining examples.
Mughlai cuisine was a gift of the Mughal kings to Indian
taste buds, and it has now captivated food lovers, connoisseurs
and food critics the world over. Start with the Shorba
(soup), move to Chicken Jehangiri, Chicken Nooorjehani,
Murg do Pizza, Mutton Rogan Josh, tandoori raan, mutton
Stew, Nahiri and Biryani and your olfactory senses will
also be satisfied along with your taste buds and appetite.
Bread too assumed paramount importance in Mughlai style.
The Shirmaal and the Roomali Roti are each different
in presentation and taste.
Vegetarianism is now being pursued the world over with
a vigour that has never been seen before. And to India
must go the credit of not only launching it as a food
philosophy but also having the largest number of practicing
vegetarians. The underlying principle of vegetarianism
is indeed laudable-that of not causing any harm to a
living being.
Gujarati cuisine, vegetarian and mostly served in thali
style, is light on the stomach. Use of spices is moderate
and often dishes are sweetened with a sprinkling of
sugar while being cooked. Gujarati cuisine managed to
impress the world with Shreekhand, a sweetened yogurt
dessert, and Dhokla, a salty, flavoured chickenpea flour
soft cake eaten along with green chillies.
Rajasthani cuisine has an unmistakable stamp of the
desert environment. As not much grows in the arid desert,
people had to be safeguarded by diet supplements against
the hot desert winds. So hot garlic paste and spring
onions, credited with power to prevent heat
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strokes, came
up as necessary accompaniments to the meal. As for sweets, Churma
Ka Laddoo, made of bread crumbs (roti) and sugar crystals fried
together and then crushed into a ball is very tasty.
Goan cuisine imbibed much from the Portuguese tradition. They
developed the ‘Vindaloo’, spicy ‘Sorpotel’
and numerous seafood dishes. The generous sea gave Goans a plentiful
supply of prawns, fish, lobsters, crabs, and shrimps-so seafood
assumes paramount importance in Goan food. Coconut milk is used
liberally in cooking and in baking cakes.
A local fruit ‘Kokum’ pipes up in the cup as a local
drink, red in colour and endowed with digestive properties.
The Portuguese passed on the tradition of using vinegar in making
meat dishes that adds a ‘tang’ to the dish. The area
is rich in coconut and cashew nuts from which the ‘Feni’
is made (strong and heady liquor) and often speaks once it rides
the mind. The Bebinca beats any cakes in the world and Goans
excel in making tarts, pastries, rose-a-coque, and ovos da pascoa.
Hyderabadi cuisine is often remembered by its spice-it is the
hottest of all Indian cuisines. Ghongura, a pickled leaf would
leave you red in the ears. The cuisine uses ‘gun powder’,
a locally prepared spicy powder, as an accompaniment along with
ghee, when people consume rice. The Hyderabadis have made ‘Biryani’
an internationally accepted dish in any menu card.
South Indian Cuisine is traditional and typical. Mainly rice-eaters,
South Indian food never goes without Sambar and Rasam and curd.
The traditionalist kitchen will serve on banana leaves and keep
pouring Sambar and Rasam till one cries no. Lot of chutneys,
and the use of the coconut paste, adds to the taste. Dosas,
idli and vadas are the main dishes here. Tamils are mostly fond
of drumstick, gourd, brinjal, cabbage and cauliflower. Imli,
or tamarind, is added to a dish to embellish it with a tang.The
areas of Chettinad, Tanjore and Arcot developed their own variants
of the the cuisine. Chettinad is one such distinct school of
cooking recognized for its spice, aroma and oil. Sun-dried legumes
and berries get transformed into mouth-watering curries with
the Chettiar treatment.
The art of making pickles is one unusual feature of Indian Cuisine.
Many fruits and vegetables, like mango, lime, ginger, garlic,
carrot, cauliflower, jungle berries, chilli, even some types
of meats like chicken are pickled. The spices and oil added
to the pickle enhances the taste and preserves the fruit or
vegetable for a long time. Almost any bland dish can be lifted
in taste by eating it along with some pickle. This art, perhaps
developed in the hands of the grandmas and till today, pickles
from different houses taste different.
Whatever the cuisine, every region has somehow managed to balance
the fat content with neutralizing agents, bland tastes with
spicy chutneys and pastes, cereal and carbohydrates, with the
fruit and drink. To be tradition-bound in cuisine has actually
become a blessing for India. Just like India’s diversity,
the cuisine is distinctive and laden with pride. Never would
one chef decry the other region’s cuisine. He will continue
to strive for his own excellence, as does the other. Both shall
glorify their traditions and leave it to the consumer to decide. |
