What to eat India? culinary specialties and gastronomy

India is a huge producer of rice, wheat, millet and sorghum. Added to this are a large number of vegetables and starches: potatoes, lentils, beans, chickpeas, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, spinach and okra, with its slight zucchini flavor. Many breads are made with starches. In northern India, these include naan (a thick, fluffy wafer), chapati or roti (thin, wholemeal flour), and paratha (a soft, slightly oily wafer). In the south, you'll find dosa, a large, thin pancake made with rice, lentil or chickpea flour, while puri is a crispy puffed pancake. There's alsoappam (rice pancake),uttapam (white lentil and rice paste pancake),idli (fermented steamed rice cake) and parothas (flaky whole-wheat flour pancakes).

Indian cuisine would not be the same without countless spices: turmeric, coriander seeds, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, curry leaves, saffron, cloves, ginger, pepper, fenugreek, mustard seeds and, of course, various varieties of chillies. Northern Indian cuisine is generally less spicy than southern Indian cuisine. Herbs such as coriander, mint and bay leaf are widely used. Asa foetida is an aromatic resin with a powerful sulphurous odour. Garam massala (coriander seeds, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek, mustard seeds, cloves and laurel) is a very common blend in the north of the country. Tamarind pulp and the dried rind of kodambuli and kokum fruits are prized for their tartness.

Dairy products such as cream, milk, yoghurt and certain cheeses - like paneer, with its soft texture and light taste - are very common. Ghee or clarified butter, which can be stored for several months at room temperature, occupies a symbolic place in Indian homes. Used in cooking, ghee is also sacred and therapeutic for Hindus.

With more than 7,500 km of coastline and numerous rivers, India regularly showcases its fish and seafood: sardines, mackerel, kingfish, pomfret, shark, snapper, squid, shrimp, crab and more. Poultry and meats are a regular feature on our tables. Chicken takes pride of place. Note that the term mutton refers to both mutton andgoat meat. While lamb is also highly prized, the appeal of pork and beef varies from community to community.

Indeed, each community has its own dietary rules. Muslims don't eat pork, while Hindus consider cows to be sacred, so beef is largely forbidden. Pork, on the other hand, is still eaten in south-western and north-eastern India, where the country's Christians are concentrated. Hindus generally shun pork, which is forbidden by certain castes, such as the Brahmins. The maharajas, however, were great hunters and did not shy away from eating game. Many meat-based recipes date back to the Muslim invasions of the Middle Ages and were inspired by the Turco-Mongolian and Persian dynasties, known as Mughlai or Mughal cuisine.

Vegetable products play a major role in Indian cuisine. Meat is considered impure by Brahmins, and out of devotion, other Hindu castes have taken to avoiding it. Yogis advise against meat diets, which are thought to give an aggressive character, in contrast to vegetable foods and dairy products. The followers of Jainism and Sikhism also eat little or no meat. Among the country's most vegetarian states are Rajasthan (75%), Haryana (69%), Punjab (67%), Gujarat (61%) and Madhya Pradesh (51%). In all, India is home to around 30% vegetarians and almost 10% vegans, a world record.

Although hygiene conditions are improving rapidly in India, if possible avoid raw vegetables, which are often washed in dubious water, and unpeeled fruit, especially in markets and small restaurants. Avoid fruit juices cut with water (ask for them without ice cubes) and ice cream sold on the street. Drink only bottled water. Traditionally, eating is done with the hands in much of India, although cutlery is not a problem. The right hand is always used, the left being considered impure.

For those a little sensitive to the power of Indian cuisine, more Western dishes - of varying quality - are readily available in the shopping malls of major cities and other tourist attractions. Although mealtimes are not as strictly divided as in the West, breakfast is taken fairly early (between 7 and 9 a.m.). Lunch is taken between 11am and 1pm, and dinner between 7pm and 9pm. An afternoon snack is not uncommon. Of course, these times vary from region to region, especially in tourist areas and big cities, where the range of opening hours is greater.

While each state has its own specialties, there are common dishes in much of northern India, such as tandoori chicken (chicken thighs marinated in a mixture of yoghurt and spices) and chicken tikka (identical marinade but in the form of chicken skewers cut into small pieces). The kebabs are sometimes called "kebabs", like the seekh kebab made with minced meat. Kofta is a minced meatball, but may also contain potato and small vegetables(malaï kofta), all cooked in a spicy yoghurt sauce. Korma is a meat- or vegetable-based stew simmered with spices, yoghurt and cashew or almond puree, giving it a creamy texture.

Biryani and pulao are two rice recipes of Persian origin. Pulao (pilaf) is cooked by absorption with spices. It is then garnished with meat, vegetables, dried fruit, nuts, etc. Biryani rice is pre-cooked in advance, then stacked in layers with meat in sauce, spices, onions, etc., before being either baked or stewed in a saucepan.

There are, of course, samosas, crispy triangular turnovers filled with meat or vegetables, and pakoras, fried vegetable croquettes.Aloo paratha is a fluffy wafer filled with potato. It's served with chutney and raita, a yoghurt flavored with herbs (mint or coriander) and vegetables (cucumber, tomato, spinach). Note that traditional chutneys don't really resemble the spicy jams found in Europe, but are often fresh purées of coriander, mint or coconut.

Ladakh's cuisine is reminiscent of neighboring Tibet and Nepal. You'll eat momos (steamed ravioli filled with meat or vegetables), tingmo (twisted steamed bread) and skyu (vegetable soup with thick pasta). Try chhurpe, a dry cheese made from yak milk. Kashmiri cuisine is renowned for its refinement. Examples includeaab gosht (lamb simmered in milk), rogan josh (chili-rich mutton stew), shalgam gosht (lamb with turnips), dum aloo (potato curry), kashmiri baingan (whole eggplant in a spicy sauce), paneer chaman(paneer in a mint and coriander sauce) or goshtaba (lamb dumplings in a delicate yoghurt sauce).

Punjabi cuisine has produced many classics of Indian gastronomy, such as the aforementioned tandoori chicken and tikka, as well as Punjabi kadhi pakora (fried onion croquettes in a creamy chili sauce), rajma chawal (red bean curry), chole (chickpea curry),amritsari (spicy fried fish) and sarson ka saag (mustard leaf and spinach compote). Closely related, palak paneer is a spicy spinach compote with paneer cubes. Rajasthan also boasts many vegetarian dishes, such as matira (watermelon curry), dahi baray (spicy lentil flour fritters topped with yoghurt sauce), gatte ki subzi (chickpea flour dumpling curry) and mirchi bada (green chili fritters stuffed with potato). The most famous meat dish is laal maans, a mutton stew cooked in a rich sauce with red pepper, garlic, onion and fermented milk, formerly prepared with wild boar or deer.

In Gujarat, you can enjoy khandvi (bean flour rolls), handvo (a rice and lentil flour cake flavored with chopped herbs) orundhiyu (a vegetable stew). Maharashtra cuisine is very similar, with pav bhaji (a thick vegetable curry served with brioche rolls) and vada pav (a roll topped with a potato croquette and green chili chutney). There's also pani puri (puffed crackers filled with vegetables and chutney), bharli vangi (eggplant stuffed with coconut and onion, in a sauce) and chicken kolhapuri (chicken simmered in a spicy coconut paste).

A major city of the Mughal Empire, Delhi offers all the flavours of Mughlai cuisine, known for its rich, delicately spiced dishes. Examples include butter chicken(murgh makhani) with a creamy sauce made from yoghurt, butter, chilli and tomato. But also nalli nihari (lamb shank confit with spices), murgh malai kebab (chicken kebabs), mughlai paratha (patty filled with vegetables and minced meat), murgh pista (chicken with pistachio cream), safed murgh korma (chicken in a creamy yoghurt and cashew paste sauce), nargisi kofta (meatballs stuffed with a hard-boiled egg, in sauce) and galouti kebab (minced lamb meat croquettes).

Uttar Pradesh's cuisine is similar to that of neighboring Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana. Try kakori kebab (skewers of minced meat croquettes flavoured with green papaya), murgh awadhi korma (chicken in a thick cashew nut puree sauce), pasanday (beef in chilli sauce) or paneer do pyaza(paneer in tomato sauce with spring onions). And let's not forget litti chokha (chickpea and vegetable purée turnovers) and bihari dal pitha (steamed rice flour turnovers filled with lentils). In Odisha, there's the tasty chungdi malai (creamy curry with shrimp and coconut milk), macha besara (fish curry) and kadali manja rai (banana heart curry), not forgetting the simple khicede (spicy lentil and rice dish).

West Bengal offers a wealth of delicious recipes such as murgh rezala (chicken in a delicate yoghurt, milk and spice sauce), murgh jalfrezi (chicken simmered in a thick chilli sauce), mangshor jhol (light mutton curry), kosha mangsho (mutton in a rich caramelized sauce) oraloo posto (potatoes in a poppy seed paste). The kathi roll is a wrap filled with spicy meat, tomato and other raw vegetables, although the meat can be replaced by paneer. The surprising gobi manchurianis a Chinese-influenced dish of cauliflower flavored with soy sauce and various spices. There are also versions with meat, poultry, seafood or fish. Indeed, fish is legion here: macher jhol (fish curry with tomato and various spices), shorshe maach (fish in sauce flavored with mustard seeds), ilish paturi (papillote of fish in banana leaf garnished with spices and pumpkin leaves), macher chop (fish croquettes), gondhoraj maach (fish with kaffir lime leaves), not forgetting chingri pulao (rice with shrimp).

North-east India is one of the country's lesser-known regions, and as a result, you'll discover recipes that are very rare outside the Indian subcontinent. In Assam, khar refers to several recipes for thick soups made from green papaya or lentils cooked in an infusion of banana leaf ash. Unless you prefer kumurat diya hanhor mangxo, a sauce dish with duck and squash from the same state, or masor tenga, a tangy fish curry. Mizoram's vawksa rep is a dish of sautéed pork belly with spinach and bamboo shoots. In Nagaland, smoked pork is particularly appreciated, either grilled or in a sauce, as is chicken, which is prepared as a spicy curry(naga curry).

Nga atoiba thongba is a fish curry from Manipur.Erompa is a vegetable curry flavoured with ngari (dried fermented fish). In the Meghalaya region, you'll enjoy jadoh (rice spiced with pork) and tungtap (a kind of fermented fish chutney). A Tripura specialty, chikhvi contains bamboo shoots, pork and sautéed vegetables. Zan, from Arunachal Pradesh, is a nourishing millet porridge garnished with small vegetables. Thukpa is a noodle soup found not only in Tibet, but also in Sikkim, as is sha phaley, a meat and cabbage turnover.

For those who want a taste of everything, thali is perfect. This assortment of small portions of vegetables and meat or fish, served with rice, includes papad (a crunchy little pancake), sambar (a thick urd bean soup) with simmered vegetables (eggplants, potatoes, green beans, lentils, okra, etc.). For breakfast, the idli sambar duo is a must. There's also the vada (lentil-based fritter, medu vada, or potato-based fritter, batata vada). Bhaji are grated onion croquettes. In South India, raita is known as pachadi, and we love kayi chattni, a creamy coconut chutney.

While preserving its Indian heritage, Goa has also been influenced by over 450 years of Portuguese presence. Its signature dish is vindaloo, an extremely spicy stew of pork - sometimes chicken or fish - flavored with a mixture of wine vinegar and garlic. Others include xacuti (meat - chicken, pork, lamb - in a spicy sauce with poppy seeds and chillies), sorpotel (stewed pork meat and offal, in a spicy vinegar sauce) and cafreal (chicken simmered with green chillies, spices and coriander). Chorise are garlands of small ball-shaped chorizos, flavored with chili pepper and vinegar. On the seafood side, there are fish and shrimp curries à la goanaise, cooked in a spicy coconut milk sauce, as well as balchão (shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce), Xec Xec crab (cooked with coconut, onions, chillies and spices),ambot tik (shark in a sour sauce with red chillies and tamarind) and recheado (whole fish, stuffed with a spice paste, then fried). The ros omelette is an omelette with herbs and green chili in a spicy sauce.

The cuisines of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana include Hyderabad's biryani, considered one of the best biryanis in the country, with saffron rice and marinated chicken. It is served with mirchi ka salan (chilli and peanut compote) and dahi chutney (yoghurt, onion and mint). Pulihora is rice prepared with an acidifier (tamarind, lemon, green mango or kokum peel), then garnished with lentils, peanuts, spices and more. The term " pulusu " refers to dishes in various spicy sauces with okra(bendakaya pulusu), mixed vegetables(kalagura pulusu) or fermented milk(majjiga pulusu). There's also chepala pulusu (fish in a spicy sauce), kodi vepudu (chicken with pepper) and several curries:ankapur kodi koora (chicken), gutti vankaya koora (eggplant) or panasa pottu koora (jackfruit). Gongura mamsam is a spicy lamb curry.

Tamil Nadu is famous for its kuzhambu, a tamarind-scented stew that may contain eggplant stuffed with lentil puree(ennai kathirikai kuzhambu), fish(meen kuzhambu) or plantain(vazhakkai kuzhambu). There are also various recipes for spicy fried vegetables, such as parangikai ellu poriyal (pumpkin),urulai kizhangu varuval (potato), kaalan milagu varuval (mushroom),avarakkai poriyal (flat beans), and so on.Uttapam is a large lentil flour pancake, topped with vegetables and served with various sauces(sambar, chutney, etc.). Finally, kootu are rather thick vegetable stews based on lentils: keerai kootu (spinach), sorakkaai kootu (gourd), vazhaipoo kootu (banana blossom), and so on.

Chettinad chicken (marinated chicken with yoghurt, spices, tomato and coriander) or palkatti chettinadu(paneer cooked in a spicy sauce) are also worth mentioning. The famous madras curry, based on chicken, is very spicy. Chicken 65 is a spicy fried chicken dish created in 1965 at the Buhari Hotel in Chennai. There are variations with cheese(paneer 65) or cauliflower(gobi 65). Others include mutton kola urundai (spicy, fried minced mutton dumplings), dindigul biriyani( chicken or muttonbiryani, prepared with round samba rice),iraal masala (shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce), iraal milagu varuval (stir-fried prawns with black pepper, garlic and chilli), nethili meen varuval (fried anchovies with chilli), nandu rasam (spicy crab soup) and thengai paal meen curry (fish curry with coconut milk).

Kerala is famous for sadya ("banquet" in Malayalam), a host of vegetarian dishes served on a banana leaf, made for Onam, a Hindu festival blessing the harvest. Sadya dishes include mathanga erissery (spicy pumpkin stew), pulissery (coconut and cucumber soup),avial (rich vegetable curry), kadala kari (thick chickpea curry),ulli theeyal (spicy spring onion stew) and more. The less conservative Hindus of Kerala sometimes eat beef, including Kerala beef fry or ullarthiyathu, strips of beef fried then simmered with spices. Biryani Thalassery, popular with Muslims, consists of round jeerakasala rice with chicken or mutton, spices, mint, cashews and fried onion. It is accompanied by yoghurt-based raita and tenga chammandi (coconut paste). Also worth mentioning are molee and malabar matthi kari, two varieties of fish curry with coconut milk, often prepared by Christians at Christmas. And let's not forget chemmeen kari (creamy shrimp curry),arikkadukka (fried mussels stuffed with cooked rice paste) and kallumakkaya ularthiyathu (mussels sautéed with various spices).

In Karnataka, you'll enjoy mangalorean fish curry with neer dosas(thin rice pancakes). Other dishes include coorg pandi curry (spicy pork stew with onion and coriander), korri gassi (rich chicken curry with coconut milk), bisi bele bath (creamy rice and lentils with various spices), mavinakayi chitranna (spicy rice with green mango) and mangalore bajji (fritters with coriander and green chilli), or patrode (rolls of colocasia leaves filled with rice and lentils, steamed and fried).

In North India, you'll find the famous kheer, rice pudding with raisins and cashew nuts, as well as halwa, a highly versatile preparation based on flour or starch (wheat, corn, sweet potato), whose texture varies between nougat and porridge. Examples include gajar ka halwa (with carrot) and kada prasad (with wholemeal or atta flour). Other delicacies include laddu (chickpea flour dumplings), gulab jamun( Bengalpantua, a doughnut made from curdled milk in rosewater syrup) and jalebi (very sweet, saffron-flavored orange twists). Finally, kaju katli are milk and cashew nut nougat lozenges.

Pinni is a mouthful made with ghee, wheat flour, jaggery (unrefined sugar molasses) and almonds. Common in Rajasthan and Gujarat, mohan thal is a chickpea flour nougat with almonds and cardamom. Others include mawa kachori (cookies filled with mawa, a type of nougat, and pistachios) and kalakand (nougat made with chhena - a local fresh cheese - and garnished with pistachios). Ghughra (Gujarat) are fried turnovers filled with dried fruit, nougat and spices. And let's not forget basundi (a condensed milk dessert flavoured with saffron and cardamom) and shrikhand (a yoghurt, saffron and cardamom-based dessert). Typical of Maharashtra, modak is a steamed rice-flour bite filled with coconut and jaggery. Mughlai cuisine includes shahi tukra (bread, milk and dried fruit pudding with spices) and kesar kulfi (ice cream in a cone, flavoured with saffron, cardamom and pistachio). Khaja is a flaky doughnut soaked in syrup and originally from Bihar.

In Bengal and Odisha, you'll enjoy rajbhog (bites of fresh cheese topped with dried fruit served in a saffron syrup), sandesh (dumplings made with paneer, sugar, cardamom and saffron, topped with pistachios, almonds or crushed pineapple) or ras malai (bites of paneer flavored with cardamom, served with milk cream topped with pistachios). In Assam, there's laru (bite-sized rice flour, coconut and jaggery).

In South India, pal payasam is a creamy rice pudding with cashew nuts, cardamom, rosewater and saffron. Kerala 's kozhukattai (rice-flour dumplings filled with grated coconut and jaggery) and Goa's bebinca (multi-layered cake made from rice flour, coconut milk, egg yolk and palm sugar) are also worth mentioning. Dharwad peda is a Karnataka confection made with sugar, cow's milk and buffalo milk, and mysore pak is a nougat with ghee, chickpea flour and sugar. Pazham nirachathu is a split plantain filled with a coconut-cashew mixture and deep-fried.

Falooda - served iced - is made with rose syrup, vermicelli, psyllium or basil seeds, tapioca pearls and jelly pieces with milk or water. Solkadhi, popular in Goa, is made with coconut milk and kokum (dried Garcinia indica skin), which gives it its bright pink color. Of course, you can also try lassi, a smooth, whipped yoghurt served plain, salted or sweetened, although there are also fruit versions (mango, banana), which were originally a Western invention.

India offers a phenomenal diversity of fruits. Of course, you'll find the classic mangoes, bananas, papayas, pineapples and guavas, but also apples, peaches, grapes or plums, depending on the altitude. Ladakh apricots are very famous in India. Less common fruits include langsat (translucent pulp similar to lychee), phalsa (purple, tart berries) and tadgola (fruit of the sugar palm, with sweet, transparent flesh). Finally, bilimbi and chalta, both highly acidic, are transformed into spicy pickles(achards). Delicious fresh fruit juices can be found everywhere, such as nimbu pani, a lime juice served sweet or savoury.

India's national beverage remains tea, the country being the world's second largest producer and consumer after China. While the term " chai " (pronounced chai) means "tea" in general, it also refers to the way it is served in India, i.e. mixed with milk and lots of sugar. Spiced with cardamom, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, etc., it becomes masala chai. In Kashmir, we love kahwa, a milk-free green tea with rose petals, cardamom and saffron. In Ladakh, people drink gur-gur chai, a tea enriched with milk and yak butter, with a little salt. Tea is to be found absolutely everywhere in India: on the street, on the menu of every restaurant, in railway stations, on the train, etc.

Although it was the Chinese who were the first to drink tea, the tea plant occurs naturally in the far north-east of India. It was the British who began intensive tea cultivation in the early ^19th century. The first crops were planted in Assam and West Bengal, before spreading to southern India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka). Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Sikkim are also important producing regions. Darjeeling, produced in the region of the same name (West Bengal), is one of the world's most prized black teas.

Although tea is India's favorite beverage, the country is also the world's seventh-largest producer of coffee, which has existed in the country for several centuries, particularly in the south, where it is more familiar thanks to ancient trade with Arab merchants. However, the commercial cultivation of coffee only took off after the country was colonized. Today, with the advent of globalization, more and more young Indians are enjoying espresso and cappuccino served in the large coffee shops that are springing up all over the country. Tamil Nadu is famous for its filtered coffee(filter kaapi), made from coffee beans that have been roasted for a long time and ground at the last moment. The powder is then placed in a filter. Boiling water is poured over it, and the decoction is left for around 15 minutes before milk and sugar are added. The final beverage is then quickly poured from one container to another, to produce a cup of ideally frothy coffee.

On average, Indians consume relatively few alcoholic beverages, and some states - Bihar, Gujarat, Mizoram and Nagaland - firmly penalize their sale and consumption. Nevertheless, beer remains very popular. Founded in 1857 in Bangalore, United Breweries is India's largest brewing group, best known for producing Kingfisher beer. Other brands include Kalyani, Haywards, Zingaro, Maka Di and Eight Finger Eddie. Indian wine from Maharashtra is sometimes blended with French grape varieties. More full-bodied spirits include the famous kallu and charayam, two varieties of palm wine(toddy), as well as mahua, India's oldest handcrafted brandy. Made from the flowers of the eponymous tree, mahua is 40° proof.Apo is a rice wine produced by hand in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Some of Rajasthan's royal families had their own liqueurs produced, and while many recipes have been lost over time, the Royal Heritage Liqueur brand has attempted to revive this ancient tradition with liqueurs such as Chandra Haas and Royal Mawalin.