Introduction to Indian cooking

People call it exotic while others consider it as a unique form of culinary art. Whatever it is, Indian cooking is known to many because of its one of kind spices and foods with strong aroma that would truly fill your heart and taste buds with delight. No exact words can simply describe what Indian cooking is. But one thing is for sure their cuisines are combinations of various cooking styles, recipes, as well as cooking techniques influenced by culture, religion, and more.

Indian cooking started thousands of years ago and the locals have already perfected the art of cooking tasteless ingredients and turning it into a mouth-watering cuisine. Indian cooking is not just all about the local foods that originated in the country. It is also influenced by the culture and the foods of other countries including China, Greece, as well as other countries in Europe. There are also other factors that contribute to Indian cooking such as customs, traditions, geography, changes in the climate, and religion particularly Islam and Hinduism.

And because not only Hindus live in India, their delicacies must also keep in mind other religions as well. Therefore, they cannot serve cuisines with pork just to anybody particularly the Muslims. Aside from pig’s meat, they also serve lamb, chicken, and beef as well. Vegetarians may also get to enjoy their cuisines since they also have dishes using only vegetables as their main ingredients.

There came a time that India experienced severe warm temperature. It was so hot indeed that the temperature even reached as high as 100 degrees if you are under a shade. And because refrigeration facilities are limited in the country, many were troubled as to how they could store and keep the meat fresh for a longer period. Eventually, they discovered that if they would combine certain spices together when cooking, they would create a natural preservative that would not spoil the food for a long time. Since then, they have been using spices not only to preserve the foods but also to give vegetables and meat an exotic taste at the same time. As of today, viands with curry as well as other well-spiced dishes evolved as the national and popular cuisines in the country. Indians even consider these spices as something that is very beneficial for their health since it induces perspiration.

When talking about the use of spices in Indian cooking, many were mistaken on how it is used in cuisines. Not just because most Indian dishes have pungent smells does not mean that you must always give more than a dash of spice to the meal. You may opt to create an Indian dish that would give your tongue a fiery sensation. However, you may also create a mild tasting Indian cuisine depending on your choice. This is all about your personal taste.

In Indian cooking, the word curry refers to various dishes not only a particular menu. Some curries are bland while others are extremely pungent. But it is not just the curries that can be concocted in various dishes. This includes the kabobs or kebabs, tandoori meats, biryanis, and pilaf.

As mentioned before, Indian cooking is diverse. Each region in India has their dishes to boast and be proud of. So if you want to get the best-tasting foods in India, don’t settle in just one region only. There are at least five regions that you can visit where each has their own Indian cooking specialty to offer.