The fame of Indian food has reached all foreign shores and there is galloping demand for it from all quarters. The impact of globalization and spread of Indian people have given a big boost to the popularity of Indian food.
The global interest in Indian food is already amplified by the way it is being hailed in the mass media as India’s soft power. Indian food has earned the attention of even Hollywood films such as Mistress Of Spices and Today’s Special besides numerous television shows where Indian curries and food are appreciated as in Outsourced and The Big Bang Theory shows.
Indian Restaurants
The surge in number of customers visiting Indian restaurants abroad to taste the Indian delicacies such as kebabs, chicken tikka masala, biryani, curries, masala dosa and naan in UK, US, Canada, Middle East, Australia and even China speaks a lot about the craze Indian food has unleashed.
Great Diversity
Beyond the precise “Indianness” there is a discernible audience for every variant of Indian food. There are fans of specifically Punjabi, South Indian, Goan, Rajasthani, Bengali, Gujarati or Parsi food. Even Indian street fares like chaats and rolls have become popular with so many hybrid versions like naanwiches and chapati tacos topping the charts.
There is no surprise that India with its 28 states have varied cuisines. Each region has its own distinct variety of food despite over lapping influences.
North and West cuisine
North Indian food is rich in oils, ghee, cream and curd. North India prefers breads like naans, parathas, roti and kulchas more than rice. They also have a high consumption of spices like ginger, onion, coriander and chillis. Tandoori and tawa delights are Northern favourites.
East India
In eastern India the staple food is rice and other steamed dishes. They like fish and various types of seafood. Their sweets and desserts also stand out from the others.
South Indian
Karnataka: The cuisine has seafood and veggies with good use of coconut. The usual dishes include jolada rotti, akki rotti, chapati, ragi rotti, bisi bele bath, kesari bath, and ragi mudde.
Kerala: The coastal state has its cuisine rich in coconut and seafood in its dishes. Tapioca is a staple food here along with rice. Thanks to the abundance of spices it has an upper hand in almost all dishes. The most popular Kerala dishes are appam, idiyappam, dosa, idli, pathrii and puttu.
Tamil Nadu: For breakfast it may be Idli and dosa with coconut chutney or sambar as the staple. Upma made of rava, or idiyappam and vada are other options. For lunch, the thali will have steamed rice served with sambar, rasam, buttermilk, chutney and curries. In non-vegetarian fare you can expect dishes prepared with chicken, mutton or fish. Pickle, salad and papad will be adding the extra punch to any Tamil lunch.
When you eat authentic Indian food you will get more clarity on the fine details and various qualities of Indian food irrespective of its pronounced regional variations.