. "LAND OF KINGS" - RAJASTHAN
Rajasthani food (also spelled Rajesthani) shows perfect example of use of available ingredients for food in the harsh arid region of Rajasthan, which lies in western part of India. Due to lack of fresh vegetables, Rajasthani cuisine is full of sundried, dried food or naturally preserved food with long shelf life. For example, Rajasthani recipes often will use dry
hing(
asafoetida) fresh onions and garlic to enhance the flavors.
Often lot of
ghee or buttermilk is used in Rajasthani cooking than fresh cream, milk, or yogurt. Many Rajasthan curries are bright red in color but not hot and they are thickened by
besan (
gram flour). Rajasthani cuisine also has lot of dry fruit snacks or dried snacks, and desserts. Many Rajasthani food could last for several days and could be eaten without heating.
Rajasthan is home of many native crops, such as kair (berry), guar (cluster beans), bajara (millet). Rajasthan is also home of Marwari cuisines, which is exclusively vegetarian.
One of the most famous dish is dal baati. Baalti are bread made from wheat,
sooji (
semolina), ghee, spice, etc. Baalti are traditionally roasted in an open coal fire and eaten by dipping into thick dal made from different lentils. Other famous dishes include churma, lal maas (red color meat), mangodi,
papad, lapsi, mishri mawa, kalakand, ghevar, green masala chilies, ladoo, etc.
2. GOA
Goan food comes from western shores of India around Goa. Goan dishes have their roots in Portuguese as well as southern Indian coastal cuisines.
Many items such as pork and beef that are either taboo to Muslims and Hindus in India are readily available in Goa. Rice and seafood are very popular in Goa from among Hindus and Chritians. Other vegetables as well as meat such as pork and beef are also staple Goan food.
Goan cuisine is rich in seafood. Most commonly used seafood include, Kingfish pomfret, shrimp (prawn), lobster, mussels, squid, tuna, crab, mackerel.
Many Goan recipes contain coconut and coastal hot spices to flavor the food. Some of the favorite Goan dish popular throughout the world, includes
Vindaloo, Goan fish curry, Khatkhate (vegetable stew).
3. "LAND OF 5 RIVERS" - PUNJAB
A typical Indian restaurant in the United States serves a host of Punjabi food. Many non-Indian identify Punjabi food with the Indian food. Punjabi food includes classic favorite such as
Tandoori chicken,
Naan, parathas, Aloo Tikki,
Makke di Roti and Sarson ka
Saag and many more. Punjab a northwestern state of India is also known as "the land of milk and honey". Many of Punjabi men are seen wearing big turbans.
A typical Punjabi meal with consist of roti, daal, yogurt and curried vegetable. Many Punjabi eat rice very infrequently and only on special occasions. Punjabi meals usually have lot of onion, tomatoes,
cumin,
turmeric,
mustard, garlic, ginger cooked in pure cow
ghee. Milk is a very important part of Punjabi food in its many form such as yogurt (dahi), lassi,
paneer, makhan (white butter) and ghee.
In rural India, Punjabi food is mostly served on "Dhaba". Dhaba is a usually self-service roadside food joint that is frequented by truck drivers and travelers.
4. "DRAVIDA" - SOUTH INDIA
South Indian food, particularly Tamil Nadu, brings to mind idlis,
dosas,
sambhar and vada. Beside these immensely popular classics, there are more tasty fares. In south India there are hugfe numbers of vegetarian dishes. The food in this region use generous amount of spices and
coconuts.The final tempering with oil,
mustard seeds,
curry leaves,
dried red chilies and
urad dal is similar for most of the dishes.
The Malabar Coast in the South India is famous for its spices of pungent aromas that lured many foreign invaders like the Dutch, the French and the English.
Cardamom,
black pepper,
cinnamon,
clovesand nutmeg are some of the notable spices, which are found in abundance in the South. The availability of coconut, fish and root tubers have influenced the culinary creations of the South.
Rice is the staple food for the people of South India instead of wheat, which is more popular in northern states.
In Kerala, the staple food of the people is fish accompanied with steaming rice of big size. In Kerala, the staple food of the people is fish accompanied with steaming rice of big size. Banana chips and jackfruit chips are the specialty snacks of this state and most of the visitors make sure they have at least a few bags of these items in their carry home luggage!
The Andhra cuisine has a great Mughal impact. Their food is known for its spiciness and hotness. The kebabs and the Briyanis are not to be missed. Home made pickles,
papads and dry
chutney powders to be used with dosa or idli or rice are the famous culinary traditions of this region.
5. "VANGA' - BENGAL
Bengali cuisine traces its root to the region of Bengal, which is now divided between into Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh. Bengali food consists of staple of rice with various fish, egg dishes, dals and vegetable curry dishes. Food is important part of Bengali culture, which can be seen in the bold flavors of delicious and delicate Bengali dishes. Bengali food use many spices common to entire Indian subcontinent such as
cumin,
coriander,
cinnamon,
cardamom and spice mixture
garam masala.
Mustard seeds are more commonly used in Bengali food than other north Indian cuisines.
South Indian cuisine use dark mustard seeds while Bengali cuisine uses light color. Bengali cuisine also uses pungent flavored
mustard oil, which is not commonly used in other Indian cooking. Other common five spice mixture used in Bengali cuisine is
panch phoron.
Bengali sweets such as
rasgula,
ras malai, sandesh,misti doi, are consider among the best desserts in the world. Bengali usually serve multi-course meal like in French cuisine, which is different than other traditional
Indian menu preparation where everything is served in one thali.
Bengali cooking is often synonymous with fish. Even though much of Bengal is not next to the sea, it has many rivers and lakes full of more than 3 dozen species freshwater fish. Bengali cuisine uses almost every part of the fish. For example, fish head often use to make stew, soup or flavor curries. There are countless way to make Bengali fish each depending on personal family taste or regional favorites. Most common way is to braise fish into curry stew, often with seasonal vegetables, yogurt, green chillies, mustard. Frying, steaming (usually inside plantain leaves), roasting and drying, (shuţki) are also popular. Some of popular fish include; rohu (similar to carp), koi magur (catfish), shingi , chingŗi (prawn or shrimp), galda (lobster), and most famous hilsa. Beside fish, Bengali diet also consists of young goat (called Khashi) and chicken.
6. "JEWEL OF THE WEST" - GUJARAT
Gujarati cuisine is from Northwestern part of India from region of Gujarat. Gujarati food is primarily dominated with array of vegetarian dishes.
Gujarati food has its unique blend of sweet and spicy flavors. Gujarati dishes are traditionally served on silver platters with both rice, breads and plethora of vegetarian dishes. Vegetarian dishes use regular curry spices but leave a sweet after-taste.
Some of Gujarati food include: Khandvi, Dhokla, Patra, Khaman, Kachumbar,Dal Kadhi, Dal Dhokli, etc. The desserts includes famous shrikand, a creamy thick saffron spiced yogurt. Other famous desserts are Basundi, Malpua, Ghari etc.
7. "HEAVEN ON EARTH" - KASHMIR
Kashmiri food comes from the northern Indian state of Kashmir divided between India and Pakistan. Kashmiri food is rich and usually cooked in ghee, perhaps to combat the cold climate.
Kashmiri foods are flavored by aromatic spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove, aniseed. Kashmiri saffron or kesar is very popular throughout the world. One of the famous kasmiri food preparation is a creamy and sweet sauce, known as korma.
Among Kashmiri Muslims, mutton, an older lamb, dishes are very popular and culturally important. For example, at least thirty six dishes including seven lamb dishes are served during special Muslim feast such as Wazwan.
8. MAHARASHTRA
Maharashtrian or Marathi food consist large variety of vegetables, fish and coconuts. The coconuts are grated as flavor in many dishes. However, coconut oil is not very widely used as a cooking medium. Instead peanut oil is the main cooking medium. Peanuts and cashewnuts are widely used in vegetables.
9. PARSEE
Parsi food is the cuisine of Parsi or Parsee community of India. Parsi food has influence of their roots, Persian food. It is also heavly influenced by food of other colonial powers, such as British and Portuguese, who came in touch with Parsi. Finally, it was influenced by region they settled in such as Surat, Gujarat and later Bombay (Mumbai) Maharashtra. So there is an similarity between
Guajarati food and
Maharashtrian food on Parsi food. One of the famous parsi food preperation is
dhansak.
10. "SEVEN SISTER STATE" - NORTH EAST
Assamese cuisine (Assamese: অসমীয়া ৰন্ধন-শৈলী) is the cuisine of Assam. It is a style of cooking that is a confluence of cooking habits of the hills that favor fermentation and drying as forms of food preservation and those from the plains that provide fresh vegetables and abundance of fish from its many rivers and ponds; both of which are centered on the main ingredient—rice. It is a mixture of different indigenous styles with considerable regional variations and some external influences. The cuisine is characterized by very little use of spices, little cooking over fire and strong flavors due mainly to the use of endemic exotic fruits and vegetables that are either fresh, dried or fermented. Fish is widely used, and birds like duck, squab etc. are very popular, which are often paired with a main vegetable or ingredient. Preparations are rarely elaborate—the practice of Bhuna, the gentle frying of spices before the addition of the main ingredients so common in Indian cooking, is absent in the cuisine of Assam.
A traditional meal in Assam begins with a khar, a class of dishes named after the main ingredient, and ends with a tenga, a sour dish. These two dishes characterize a traditional meal in Assam. The food is usually served in bell metal utensils made by an indigenous community called Mariya. Tamul (betel nut, generally raw) and paan generally concludes the meal.
Though still obscure, this cuisine has seen wider notice in recent times.The discovery of this cuisine in the popular media continues, with the presenters yet to settle on the language and the specific distinctiveness to describe it.
Manipuri cuisines are simple,tasty,organic and healthy. Dishes are typically spicy foods that use chili pepper rather than garam masalas hence healthy, simple and organic foods. Most of the cuisines doesn't use oil as its ingredients.
The staple diet of Manipur consists of rice, large varieties of leafy vegetables (of both aquatic and terrestrial) and fishes. Manipuris typically raise vegetables in a kitchen garden and rear fishes in small ponds around their house. Since the vegetables are either grown at home or obtained from local market, the cuisines are very seasonal, each season having its own special vegetables and preparations. The taste is very different from mainland Indian cuisines because of the use of various aromatic herbs and roots that are peculiar to the region and list of these aromatic herbs and roots are listed below.
Tripuri cuisine is the type of food predominantly served in the northeast Indian state of Tripura. The Tripuris are essentially nonvegetarians and hence the main courses are mainly prepared using meat, but with the addition of vegetables. Traditional Tripuri cuisine is known as Mui Borok. Tripuri food has a key ingredient called Berma, which is dried and fermented fish. The food is considered to be healthy as it is prepared without oil. Flavor wise, Berma is more on the sour side. Tripuri food such as bangui rice and fish stews, bamboo shoots, fermented fish, local herbs, and meat roasts are extremely popular within and outside the state.
Naga cuisine, of the Naga people, features meats and fish, which are often smoked, dried or fermented . The various Naga tribes have their own cooking varieties, but they often interchange recipes. A typical Naga table consists of a meat dish, a boiled vegetable dish or two, rice and a chutney (Tathu). Nagas tend to prefer boiled edible organic leaves. Some common dishes are "fermented bamboo shoot" (made from the tender shoot of the Bamboo tree) with fish and pork. axone(soyabean boiled, fermented and either smoked or sun dried) with smoked pork and beef. Smoked meat is produced by keeping the meat above the fire or hanging on the wall of the kitchen for 2 weeks or longer, which could last for the whole year ahead. Anishiis fermented taro leaves made into patties and smoked over the fire or sun dried . Naga food tends to be spicy(chillies). There are different varieties of chillies in Nagaland. The ginger used in the Naga cuisine is spicy, aromatic and is different from the common ginger. The garlic and ginger leaves are also used in cooking with meat. Sichuan pepper is a popular spice used by the nagas. popular dish is a soupy dish which is had with cold rice made mostly when one feels under the weather or a migraine, called by different name by the different naga tribes.
Source: http://www.food-india.com/indianCuisine & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
