In India as elsewhere, food culture is shaped by land, climate, natural resources. The food system emphasizes eating agricultural and natural produce “in season,” such as mangoes and local greens during the summer, pumpkins during the rainy monsoon months, and root vegetables during the winter months.
Foods of India are better known for its spiciness. Throughout India, be it North India or South India, spices are used generously in food. But one must not forget that every single spice used in Indian dishes carries some or the other nutritional as well as medicinal properties.
North Indian Food
In the north of India, to begin with, Kashmiri cuisines reflect strong Central Asian influences. In Kashmir, mostly all the dishes are prepared around the main course of rice, found abundantly in the beautiful valley. Another delicious item cooked here is the ‘Sang’ that is prepared with a green leafy vegetable. But on the other hand, states like the Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh show high consumption of chapatti as staple food. Again, chapatti are prepared with a variety of flours such as wheat, rice, etc. Besides chapatti, other closely related breads baked in these regions include Tandoori, and Naan etc. However, in the northern region, the impact of food is quite obvious.
West Indian Food
In western India, the desert cuisine is famous for its unique taste and varieties of food. Rajasthan and Gujarat are the states that represent the dessert flavor of Indian food. Here an immense variety of DAL and (pickles/preserves) is used that simply substitutes the relative lack of fresh vegetables in these areas.
In the states like Maharashtra, the food is usually a mix of both north and south cooking styles. Here people use both the rice and the wheat with same interest. Along the coastline of Mumbai, a wide variety of fishes is available. Some delicious preparations include dishes like the Bombay Prawn.
In Goa, that is further down towards the south, one can notice Portuguese influence in the cooking style as well as in the dishes. Some major dishes of this region are the sweet and egg etc.
East Indian Food
In the eastern India, the Bengali and Assamese styles of cooking are noticeable. The staple food of Bengali's is the yummy combination of rice and fish. Usually the Bengali's love eating varieties of fishes. A special way of preparing is by wrapping it in the pumpkin leaf and then cooking it. Another unusual ingredient that is commonly used in the Bengali cooking is the ‘Bamboo Shoot’. Various sweets prepared in this region, by using milk.
South Indian Food
In the southern India, the states make great use of spices, fishes and coconuts, as most of them have coastal kitchens. In the foods of Tamil Nadu, use of tamarind is frequently made in order to impart sourness to the dishes. It simply distinguishes the Tamil Food from other cuisines. The cooking style of Andhra Pradesh is supposed to make excessive use of chilies, which is obviously to improve the taste of the dishes.
In Kerala, some delicious dishes are stew, Malabar fried prawns, Idly fish curry and rice putt. Another famous item of this region is the sweetened coconut milk. Yet another dish is Putt, which is glutinous rice powder steamed like a pudding in a bamboo shoot.
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