Culinary Choices

FOOD
“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT,” especially in India, where food is considered as sacred as the human body. Indians look for balanced nourishment of both body and mind, in the belief that what they eat influences their behaviour, attitudes, and well-being.

Spices, milk and milk products, meat, lentils, and vegetables are used in varying amounts, depending on the season, month, or day. All foods have been classified by an ancient science into heating and cooling agents. Indians believe, for instance, that mangoes produce heat, while milk and yogurt cool the body. Children are generally given a glass of milk after they eat mangoes to prevent boils and sores in the heat of summer and it seems to work!

Each food item is believed to possess certain qualities that are transmitted to the consumer. Meat, alcohol, and highly fermented foods are considered base foods that contribute to laziness and greed. Rich and oily foods, having excess spice or sugar, are considered royal foods that produce a quick temper and a love of luxury. Indians who wish to calm the body and sharpen the mind should live on diet of milk and milk products, fresh fruits and vegetables, lentils, nuts, and cereals.

Such food values have considerably influenced the daily diet and eating habits of most Indians.

Just as there is no single style of Indian cooking, there is no one national dish. Styles of cooking and commonly used ingredients differ not only from region to region, but from one household to another.

Indian curry is pieces of mutton, chicken or fish in a sauce based variously on onions, tomatoes, yogurt or coconut milk into which as few as three or as many as 12 condiments have been added. While mutton, chicken and fish are served throughout the country, the frequency with which they make their appearance differs. In Kashmir, mutton is the chief attraction in the 24 course banquet, wazwan, each dish being cooked in a different way from the rest. Of all the coastal states in the country, Goa, Kerala and Bengal have culinary traditions with a preponderance of fish, those of Goa and Kerala making profuse use of coconuts. Goa seafood delights include crab, lobsters, tiger prawns and shellfish all accompanied by rice and washed down with excellent wine and vermouth of local manufacture. Kerala, in common with the other southern states, is noted for its variety of crisp pancakes and steamed rice cakes made from pounded rice.

Gujarat and Tamilnadu have important vegetarian traditions, meat eaten only by a fraction of the population in these two states. However, because of the seemingly endless array of imaginatively cooked vegetables, lentils and the succession of enticing accompaniments, the cuisine is relished even by confirmed non vegetarians.

Some of India’s best loved dishes are homely favourites: Punjabi sarson ka saag, mustard greens simmered all night long on a coal fire, is a seasonal favourite, being available only for a month or so in winter. Accompanied by thick unleavened bread make from cornmeal, its full-bodied flavour delights the peasant and the urban sophisticate alike.

Pau Bhaji is a passion in—Mumbai and Gujarat, where roadside stalls have a cauldron of simmering vegetables which are served with a bun. Bhelpuri in Mumbai and chaat in Delhi are roadside snacks of crunchy morsels tempered with piquant seasonings.

Sweet traditions in Kolkata, Bikaner and Delhi are famed throughout the country.

Non-alcoholic beverages include the country-wide favourite in nimbupani: a squeeze of sour lime over sugar or salt served in water or soda. Yogurt and water are vigorously churned to make buttermilk, a delicious accompaniment to Indian meals. Also available are bottled fizzy drinks and fruit-based drinks.

India’s alcoholic beverages include gin, rum, whisky, wine (dry white and rose ones), sparkling wine and beer.

Every major hotel offers, at the very least, a choice between Indian, Continental and Chinese food, and even street side cafes in small towns offer a sprinkling of popular western fare. Many cities offer Chinese food, major Metropolitan cities offering a surprising range of dining that includes Polynesian and Lebanese fare. In addition, deluxe hotels arrange food festivals periodically. These may be regional or Indian.

Western style confectionery – chocolate cakes, fudge, cookies and marzipan for instance – are available in pastry shops of major hotels as well as at confectioneries in all metro cities. World class chocolates and ice creams come in a plethora of brands.

And finally, a word about tea, sold everywhere from railway stations to deluxe hotels: this is something of a national beverage except in the south of India where it gives up its place to fresh ground coffee.