guests. Even the poorest look forward to guests and are willing to share their guests. Even the poorest look forward to guests and are willing to share their meager food with guest. And of particular importance is the Indian host's pride that they will not let a guest go away un-fed or unhappy from her home. Indians are known for their incredible ability to serve food to their guests invited or uninvited. uninvited.
The Indian cuisine is as diverse as its culture, languages, regions and its climate. Every major region of India brings its own unique dishes and subtle variations to popular dishes. Aromatic spices are the essence of Indian cuisine. So all Indian food is not hot but you can make it hot.
‘Curry’ was the Old English word for cooking derived from the French ‘cuire’ - to cook, boil, grill - hence cuisine. In Britain the term ‘curry’ has come to mean almost any Indian dish.
The term curry derives from 'kari', a Tamil word meaning sauce and referring to various kinds of dishes common in South India made with vegetables or meat and usually eaten with rice. The term is used more broadly, especially in the Western Hemisphere, to refer to almost any spiced, sauce-based dishes cooked in various south and southeast Asian styles. This imprecise umbrella term is largely a legacy of the British Rule. In India, the word curry actually refers to anything cooked and eaten with rice. Anything can be made into a curry if it is cooked and spices do not necessarily have to be added to it. There is a common misconception that all curries are made from curry powder or that a certain meat or vegetable is curried; rather, one makes a curry out of these ingredients.
A curry is any of a great variety of distinctively spiced dishes, best-known in Indian and Thai cuisine, but curry has been adopted into all of the mainstream cuisines of the Asia-Pacific area, from Pakistan in the west and even eventually to Japan. Along with tea, curry is one of the few dishes or drinks that is truly "pan-Asian", although its roots are from India.
Chicken Tikka Masala has been commonly referred to as the "British national dish".
Korma, also spelt qorma, is a mild curry, often made with yogurt sauce, cream, or nuts. In some cases it is made with coconut cream.
Vindaloo is a popular Indian food dish. It was first brought to Goa by the Portuguese and soon became a pleasing Goan meal often served during special occasions. Historically this was a pork dish cooked with plenty of wine vinegar and garlic, known as "Vinho de Alho", however it soon received the Goanese treatment of adding plentiful amounts of spice and chili. Restaurants often serve this dish with chicken or lamb sometimes mixed with potatoes. Traditional Vindaloo do not include potatoes, the discrepancy arising because the word "aloo" meaning garlic (presumably derived from the Portuguese word "alho") is mistranslated as "potato" as it is in Hindi. The dish gained added popularity in Britain, and became a common fixture at Indian restaurants and curry houses there. In colloquial English it is often referred to as "A Vindy" and is well known for its heat, being one of the hotter curries available.
Madras - fairly hot curry, red in colour and with heavy use of chili powder
Spices
Anise seed
Asafoetida (hing)
Black cumin
Black pepper
Cardamom
Chile peppers (dried red)
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coriander
Cumin seeds
Fennel
Fenugreek seeds
Mace
Mustard seeds
Nigella (kalonji)
Nutmeg
Spices have been prominent in human history virtually since its inception. Spices were some of the most valuable items of trade in the ancient and medieval world. In the story of Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers to spice merchants. In the biblical poem Song of Solomon, the male speaker compares his beloved to many forms of spices.
Spices were the primary reason that Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama sailed to India. Around that same time, when Christopher Columbus happened upon the New World, he was quick to describe to investors the many new spices available there.
Curry powder, also known as masala powder, is a spice mixture of widely varying composition developed by the British during their rule as a means of approximating the taste of Indian cuisine at home. Masala refers to spices, and this is the name given to the thick pasty liquid sauce of combined spices and ghee (clarified butter), butter, palm oil or coconut milk. In India, Masala is a spice of its own and is a reddish colored powder added to curries.
South Indian cuisine (from Andhra and Tamil Nadu), one of the oldest culinary heritages of the world, is characterized by its aroma and flavor, achieved by a blend and combination of spices, including curry leaves, tamarind, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut, and even rosewater. Rice is an important constituent of South Indian cuisine, and there are a variety of rice preparations, and food items of rice are available for all the meals of the day. Lentils, too, are consumed extensively, as accompaniment of rice preparations, as also in the form of independent food preparations of lentils. Vegetables and dairy products too are essential accompaniments. Traditionally, vegetarian foods predominate the menu with a range of non- vegetarian dishes, including sweet water fish and seafood, cooked with traditional spices and seasoning.
Indian cuisine is very diverse and is a result of India's diverse population. Over the centuries, each new wave of settlers brought with them their own culinary practices which, with time, blended into the Indian cuisine as it is known today. Besides settlers from outside, Indian cuisine has been influenced by environmental, social, religious and political factors from within. Most Indian cuisines are related by significant usage of spices, and by the use of a larger variety of vegetables than most other culinary traditions. Within these recognizable similarities, there is an enormous variety of local styles.
Typically, North Indian meals consist of chapatis or rotis and rice as staples, eaten with a wide variety of side dishes like dals, curries, yoghurt, chutney and achars. South Indian dishes are mostly rice-based, Sambar, rasam and curries being important side dishes. Coconut is an important ingredient in most South Indian food.
Besides the main dishes, various snacks are widely popular in Indian cuisine, such as samosa and vada. Among drinks, tea enjoys heavy popularity, while coffee is mostly popular in South India. Nimbu pani (lemonade), lassi, and coconut milk are also popular, while India also has many indigenous alcoholic beverages like Fenny and Indian beer.
Several customs are associated with the way in which food is consumed. Traditionally, meals are eaten while sitting on the floor or on very low stools, eating with the fingers of the right hand.
Spices are defined as "a strongly flavored or aromatic substance of vegetable origin, obtained from tropical plants, commonly used as a condiment". In ancient times, spices were as precious as gold; and as significant as medicines,Preservatives and perfumes. India - the land of spices, plays a significant role in the global spices market.
No country in the world produces as many kinds of spices as India. At present, India produces around 2.5 million tones of different spices valued at approximately 3 billion US $, and holds the premier position in the world. Because of the varying climates - from tropical to sub-tropical to temperate- almost all spices are grown in this country. In almost all of the 25 states and seven union territories of India, at least one spice is grown in abundance.
Spices and herbs are good not only for our taste buds but also for our health. They supply calcium, iron, vitamin B, vitamin C, carotene and other antioxidants. For instance fresh parsley has been linked with cancer prevention due to its antioxidant content and spicy food is much more appealing than a vitamin pill. Besides herbs and spices don't have any kilojoules or fat, so you can eat them to your heart's content.
Got Curry?
Got Curry? Fun Facts :-)
TM
Poppy seeds
Saffron
Turmeric
Sour ingredients
Vinegar
Tamarind
Lime
Amchoor (dried mango powder, also spelled 'amchur'.)
