The chief cooking influence on the Indian cuisine is the result of the noteworthy chronological raids by the Greeks, Mughals, British and the Portuguese. The lavish Indian Culture is the outcome of the affluent and diverse food mixed with the unmatched hospitality of the people. Indian dishes are simply irresistible and splendid. Visitors from any part of the world simply fall over them and treat their appetites. India is famous for its spices that can add flavor to any kind of dish. The variety of ingredients when blended with countless perfumed spices create delightful and mouth watering dishes. These dishes are very different in taste, color, appearance and texture because of the differences in areas. The magic lies in the skillful mixing of the varied spices which can tickle anyone’s appetites.
Each country offers dishes of its own style. So is India. The ingredients used in the Indian cuisine are simply endless. Some of them are herbs like coriander; garlic, ginger, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, asafetida and aniseed are included in the dishes in a variety of mishmash and savors. Unlike many countries, salt, pepper and chilies are put in the dishes while they are in the process of being cooked and not sprinkled over when finished.
Almost half of the Indians are vegetarians therefore majority of the dishes are prepared using milk, milk products like curds, cheese and ghee. The common food of India comprises of rice, maize and wheat which are basically called cereals. Wheat is consumed largely by the North Indians whereas rice becomes common dish amongst the South Indians. What is common in both is Curry and Dal. Of course, the methods of preparation differ here too and a variety of dishes can be prepared from these ingredients. The people have varied eating habits too depending on place to place.
In India one can find numerous beverage types from place to place. Indians are totally crazy about sweets. If they could afford, then it is mandatory for them to have some sweets along with their meals on a regular basis. The Indian sweets are hand made and again include loads of ingredients in them which make them simply delicious. And they are so good in appearance that if you cast a glance over them you cannot resist the temptation of gulping them down your throat. Indian food can be broadly divided according to the four different regions i.e. North, West, East and South. Each of the regions offers its own range of delicacies. One needs to have a large appetite to taste them all.
Next comes the spices, known to be the magical ingredient in any king of Indian food. Some of the most commonly used are asafetida or hing, clove or laung, cardamom or elaichi, cinnamon or dalchini, coriander or dhania, cumin seeds or jeera, ginger or adrak, garlic or lahusan, turmeric or haldi, chilly (green and red) or mirch and lots of various peppers.
There are various breads that India has to offer like parantha, roti, naan and many more. The best part is, all of these breads have different tastes and are prepared in different ways.Indian delicacies do not come to an end after a meal but there is a special ‘Paan’ which is people consume after they have had their meals. It is nothing special basically, just a betel leaf rapped around some ingredients.