Indian Food – A Short Article On The Misconceptions And Truths

There are many myths and misconceptions about Indian food. Lets just take a quick look at a few of them. This will be interesting.

Indian Food is always spicy: This is the general consensus among foreigners. Not true at all. While Indian food on the whole is more spicy, you will find many cuisines where the food is even sweet and bland. So if spicy is not your preference you could try those cuisines, for starters Gujarati cuisines are perfect for individuals who dislike spicy food.

Gujarati cuisine has a touch of sweetness in just about all of its dishes. Traditional South Indian cooking (except Andhra Pradesh) is generally less-spicier than other regions in India. Kashmiri cuisine also incorporates sweet tasting dishes in its menu. So when someone tells you Indian cooking is spicy, don’t entirely believe them.

The majority of Indian recipes are Vegetarian: Well, not entirely true. While many sections of India are strictly vegetarian, the array of non vegetarian food available in this part of the world is immense.

Contrary to widespread belief, many Indians are meat-eaters and cook them well too. Chicken is perhaps the preferred meat in India. Cow is regarded as a sacred animal and is avoided by Hindus though Muslims and Christians eat beef. Sea food is also popular in coastal regions like Goa, Mangalore, Kerala, West Bengal and others.

There is no variety in Indian cooking: Many, especially foreigners and first time visitors to India, are of the opinion that Indian food doesn’t have so much of choices. Indian cuisine is probably the most varied food-culture in the world!

Indian food = Chicken Tikka : This is a popular myth made famous by ethnic Indians in England. Chicken Tikka was originally a Persian dish brought to India by the Mughals. This was later adopted by the people of Punjab (in India and Pakistan). They created their own version of Chicken Tikka and took the recipe with them when many of them migrated and settled in Britain. Though it is highly popular in UK, it is not so much in India where it has to compete with hundreds of other local dishes.

Indian food is all about Curry: Curry is something that was again made popular by British-South Asian ethnic groups. While Curry abroad may refer to a thick and spicy gravy dish, India takes a different meaning altogether. In South India, Curry may refer to a vegetable side-dish that is often served with rice.

This is true and Indians consider eating with hands a more enriching experience although this is not a rule and Indians do use spoons and forks too. Moreover there are plenty of Indian dishes which are not easy to eat with a fork or spoon.

Not just that, in some Indian regions food is also served on banana leaf and some themed restaurants in India do offer that even now.

For more information and video recipes please visit the buzzing food community at ifood. If you are an Indian food lover you can take a look at Indian Recipes. Also take a look at Breakfast Recipes and Dinner Recipes..

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