Good food is the panacea to brighten up your mood through a stressful day and a relief for your mind, body and soul. Different cuisines of the world are essentially the epitome of the rich cultural heritage of the place they originate from.
Indian cuisine, therefore, is stuffed with the robust flavours that depict the diverse ethnicity of India.
After every few kms in India, you find a new language, a new culture and new food cuisine. Be it from Kashmir to Kanyakumari or from Gujarat to Meghalaya, cuisines in India are so diverse and magnificent that you can click not miss a chance to devour these finger-licking delicious dishes.
Table of Contents
Northern Cuisine
Delicacies in India are worth devouring over, and the northern cuisine has a different fan base for its robust spices that tempt you both visually and with its taste.
Rogan Josh
Belonging to Mughal heritage and origin, this curry is made with red meat(i.e. Goat, lamb or mutton) flavoured with Kashmiri Chillies, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and cardamom.
Popular in Kashmir, this cuisine is consumed and adored widely throughout the northern states of India. The traditional method of preparation followed the procedure of soaking the spices and making a paste out of them for the gravy that makes the dish more delicious and authentic.
Baati
Popular in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, this bread is made without leaven and is hard and crispy from the exterior, while the interior part of the bread is fluffy, giving it an amazing taste.
Mostly consumed with dal, batti is a dish that you cannot miss while visiting the deserts of India.
Chole Bhature
Everyone’s heart skips a beat for this absolute mouth-watering cuisine, Chole bhature. North India certainly holds the best of the places to experience a plate of this heavenly cuisine.
Flavoured with spices and chickpeas, chhole suits as the best companion to bhature, the fried maida bread that’ll surely leave you wanting more of it. Mostly served with onion rings and green chillies, Chole Bhature is a go-to spicy for the northern slots of India, while Delhi is the place with a lot of restaurants and dhabas that serve you the best of this cuisine.
Kadhi
Originating from Rajasthan, Kadhi is mostly consumed with rice(chawal). The duo of kadhi chawal is a cuisine you’ll find as the go-to lunch for most north Indians.
With a thick Dahi(yoghurt) gravy, the curry is filled with pakoras that are made out of gram flour. The sour and tangy taste of the dish is worth a try!
Eastern Cuisine
Below is the list of cuisines in India that belong to the eastern states of fresh vegetables, natural green cultivation and some amazing grandma’s secret recipes making their dishes the best in the race!
Litti Chokha
Litti is an unleavened bread of gram flour seasoned with herbs that are baked over coal, giving it a smokey flavour. It is often layered with lemon juice and served alongside baingan(eggplant) or aloo(potato) chokha which is made by cooking the vegetable directly over the coal fire.
Originating from eastern parts of Bihar, Litti Chokha is majorly popular in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. If you ever travel to those parts of India, you would surely want to grab a plate of toothsome Litti Chokha!
Dalma
The Odisha special Dalma is a must-have whenever you land in this beautiful state of India. A simple yet appetising curry filled with vegetables, spices and herbs. Garnished with roasted panch phoron and grated coconut, this Eastern Indian delicacy is often served with steamed or zeera or ghee rice.
You must eat this hot to get the best out of it. Surely, you should now add a ghee arna(rice)-Dalma date by the seashore or at some temple side sightseeing into your bucket list while travelling Odisha.
Macher Jhol
Simple, elegant and blissful. This Indian cuisine, Machher Jhol, the fish(seafood) curry, is an original and popular Bengali and Odia cuisine that is widely devoured by east India.
Filled with the flavours of tomato, turmeric, garlic, ginger, onion, chillies and spices, macher jhol is mostly made with small fishes (bhakur, ilishi, rohi) to enhance the taste and boost the flavours.
Rasmalai
The name of this cuisine is enough to leave your mouth filled with saliva that only increases the lust and hunger to eat a whole bowl of this savoury dessert. Rasmalai finds its origin in the land of eastern India but is popular throughout the Indian landscape for its heavenly taste.
Rasmalai is made up of soft flattened balls of chhena(cheese curd) soaked in malai(cream) garnished with Kesar and pista. You will regret not having a bite of this cuisine if you ever visit India!
Also Read: 20 Interesting Indian Food Facts
Southern Cuisine
Peep into the food cuisines in India that hail from the southern land of diversity. Learn to cook south Indian food taking a cue from these piquant dishes.
Hyderabadi Biryani
This is the heart of Hyderabad and most of south India. As the name suggests, Hyderabadi Biryani is the most famous cuisine in Hyderabad. It is a mixed rice delicacy that originates from the Muslims of India.
At festivals like Eid, dum biryani is widely consumed by most Muslims over the world. The robust taste of this dish has made it popular throughout the whole country. Once you step foot in Hyderabad, there is no way that you won’t get to smell the aroma of this delicious cuisine of South India.
Masala Dosa
If you want to have a healthy and tasty breakfast in South India, then masala dosa is your saviour! Masala Dosa originates from the land of Karnataka and has travelled throughout the nation due to its amazing taste.
It is a flat crispy bread made from the fermented batter of rice and lentils, stuffed with mashed and flavoured potato. It is served with different chutneys that elevate the taste of this great Indian cuisine.
Payasam
Payasam is a sweet and wet Indian pudding that is made up of milk, dry fruits and rice or sabudana. This is mainly used as a prasad (offering) to the god during various south Indian festivals like Onam.
Famous in the states of Kerala, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu, Payasam is a kid’s favourite dessert during the festival times, and you’ll love to grab a bowl for yourself as well!
Appam
Made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk, Appam is a pancake that is famous for its porous and fluffy texture that provides it with a great taste. The dish’s legacy travels from South India to Sri Lanka.
This is mainly consumed in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha and Karnataka. Paired with vegetable stew, Appam makes for a heartwarming and light breakfast as well as dinner.
Also Read: 11 Healthy Morning Drinks & Juices to charge you up
Western Cuisine
The west Indian cuisines are moreish and make you greedy for one more bite. With great stories and legacies behind their origin, these cuisines are worth giving a shot!
Shrikhand
A typical and traditional dessert of Gujarati and Marathi origin, Shrikhand is made up of strained yoghurt. Offered in rituals to god during various occasions, it is believed to have a connection with auspicious omens.
The preparation of this traditional cuisine of India is very special, bestowing the dish with its unique flavour. The cheesecloth is hung overnight for the making of the yoghurt that is used to make Shrikhand.
Zunka Bhakri
Coming from the streets of Pune, Zunka Bhakri is a rustic Maharashtrian Cuisine that is surprisingly not only vegan and healthy but also filled with various Indian herbs and spices that fill your taste buds with sapid flavours making you drool over it.
It is a combination of flatbread paired with spicy seasoned chickpea flour. Not only the Marathis but, for sure, you’ll also fall in love with this once you taste it!
Dhokla
Dhokla is your soft and spongy breakfast coming straight out of the belly of Gujarat. Widely made in the streets of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, Dhokla is made from the fermented batter of rice, chickpea, urad and pigeon pea.
The batter is steamed for about 15-20 minutes and then layered with sugar or sour syrup, granting the cuisine a tangy and fluffy taste. Dhokla and chutney is a must-have dish this summer when you roam around in the beautiful alleys of west India.
Laal Maas
Laal maas is a west Indian cuisine that leaves you wanting more of it once your tongue takes in the rich delicacy. Hailing from the lanes of Rajasthan, laal maas is mostly regarded as a royal dish of rich flavour and mouth-watering taste, famous on the royal dinner nights. The mutton is marinated and cooked in hot, spicy and sizzling spices, yoghurt and mathania chillies.
Mostly paired with bajra roti(flatbread), laal maas is a royal delicacy that you must taste while enjoying a starry date night in Rajasthan’s palace!
Final Words
India is a country of diverse culture and hence cuisine. You must try the aforementioned most popular cuisines in India while you stay indifferent pockets of this unique country.
The variety of cuisine not only speaks volumes about the rich heritage but also about the legacy of different civilisations during various timelines in history. Delving into the plate of amazing food, you will get to explore the history of India.
Food cuisines of India are certainly way apart from the entire world and the most miscellaneous making the journey of your food from fun to fabulous. These delicacies of India will surely have your mind blown and your mouth craving for more!
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