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INDIAN
FOOD
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Fairs and Festivals | Culture | Religion | Indian Heritage
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Curry and spice
The earliest interest
in the trade with the Orient had more to do with the demand for the
exotic spices of he mysterious East than with the thirst or knowledge or
the conquest of territory. The explorers from the Atlantic coast –
Spaniards, Portuguese, French, Dutch and British – went in search of
pepper, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, all common today in the kitchens
of the west, but as rare and prized as gold dust to the medieval markets
of Europe.
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Spices of the east
The often-perilous
journey could bring rich rewards. Pepper was once so valuable in Europe
that it served as an alternative currency, an international precursor of
the Dollar or the Euro. Unlike saffron, the classic spice of the
Mediterranean, many of the exotic spices needed the humid warmth of the
tropics. Nutmeg, mace, vanilla, and above all pepper, thrived in the wet
monsoon lands, where vines spiralled skywards on the richly forested and
well watered slopes.
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Taste-tempting
aromas
In the early days
such spices did more than just add a touch of flavour to an otherwise
bland and unappetizing diet. For centuries before the invention of the
deep freeze, spices were the only preservatives around. Today, rather
than concealing the stench of decay, the spices of the Orient waft a
taste-tempting invitation across the nostrils: a freshly cooked pilau of
aromatic basmati rice or a creamy curry exuding the mixed flavours of
Indian spices. Most visitors to India are astonished - and often
delighted - at the enormous variety of delicious food on offer, some
bearing little resemblance to the 'curries' available outside India.
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The basic
ingredients
Given the limited
basic ingredients, the diversity is surprising. Rice is the basis of
meals in the South and East, while wheat is more common in the North. The
cooking medium is generally oil, while clarified butter (ghee) is now
both too expensive and too rich in fat to be as lavishly used as it once
was. The secret of success is the freshness of the spices used and the
techniques gleaned after centuries of practice.
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Mughlai richness
The Mughlai cooking
of the North, hinting at the richness of the Muslim court, sees whole
spices, nuts and fruit as essential ingredients, Kebabs, meat balls and
minced meat preparations are served alongside biriyani or pulao, while
Tandoori dishes, marinated meat cooked in a special earthen oven, come
from the far Northwest. East India has long specialized in fresh water
fish, notably hilsa and bekti, while Bengali sweets such as sandesh,
rasgolla and the truly exceptional sweetened yoghurt, mishti doi, are the
envy of the whole country.
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Vegetarian delight
Vegetarians will feel
particularly at home in the South and West where most Brahmins are
strictly vegetarian. The local thalis, traditionally served on a freshly
washed banana leaf, but now more often on a stainless steel plate and
half a dozen bowls, offer wonderfully subtle flavours of vegetables,
lentils and spiced sauces, accompanied by wheat chapattis and puris, rice
and poppadums, pungent pickles of mango or lime to whet the taste buds
and thick fresh yoghurt to cool you down. Coconut, tamarind and banana
feature more prominently in the South too. And even if you never travel
to the region, you can sample delicious southern snacks- dosai, idli and
vadai, which are now popular across the country.
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The heart-shaped
leaf
To round off the
classic Indian meal is that most distinctive of Indian delicacies, paan. The
paan leaf is the vehicle for a succession of pastes and spices. Areca
nuts, lime, tobacco and a number of sweetened and scented ingredients
will go into the bright green heart-shaped leaf, to be carefully folded
and then chewed, seemingly endlessly.
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