This document provides an overview of Indian cuisine by describing the diverse climates and crops of India and how they influence regional cuisines. It discusses how religion also shapes food traditions and taboos. The four main cooking styles - North, East, South, and West - are characterized by available ingredients in each region. Key spices commonly used across India are profiled, with descriptions of their flavors and traditional uses.

1. INDIAN CUISINE
BY: DANVEER KUMAR VEER
B.I.T MESRA

2. INDIAN CUISINE
“INDIAN FOOD IS THE REFLECTION OF THE
HERITAGE OF ITS PEOPLE. IT REPRESENTS
ITS HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT, RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS, CULTURAL PRACTICES, AND ABOVE
ALL, ITS GEOGRAPHICAL ATTRIBUTES”

3. • CHARACTERIZED BY
ITS AROMATIC,
CAPTIVATING
FRAGRANCES AND
INTRIGUING FLAVORS
• INDIA, PAKISTAN,
BANGLADESH,
BURMA, AND SRI
LANKA WERE ONCE
PART OF THE SINGLE
NATION OF INDIA, IN
INDIAN
SUBCONTINENT.

4. • NORTH MOST PART OF
INDIA (HIGHLAND
CLIMATE), VALLEY OF
KASHMIR WITH
MAGNIFICENT PERSIAN
GARDENS AND
TERRACED LAKES,
BRISK, COOL FRESH AIR
IS LURED WITH
FRAGRANCE OF PINE
AND SAFFRON
FLOWERS. WALNUTS
AND FRUIT ORCHARDS,
MORELS AND BLACK
CUMIN SEEDS GROW
WILD, COOL CLIMATE
FOR SHEEP, THUS LAMB
FORMS THE BASIS OF
MANY KASHMIRI DISHES.
• LONG GRAIN RICE
KNOWN AS BASMATI

5. • NORTHERN PLANS, IRRIGATED
BY THE GREAT RIVERS OF
INDUS AND GONGES, WITH SOIL
EXTREME CLIMATE VARIATION,
FIERCE HEAT (120F) TO
SUBFREEZING COLD WITH DRY
CHILLY WINDS, WHEAT, CORN,
MILLET, BARLEY, AND
INNUMERABLE VARIETY OF
LEGUMES AND VEGETABLE
FLOURISH.
• MAN ARE TALL AND HARDY AND
DIET RICH (DELHI, PUNJAB,
UTTAR PRADESH)
• CLARIFIED BUTTER USED AS
COOKING OIL, GOAT, CHICKEN
ARE COMMON
• BREAD IS PRIMARY STAPLE OF
THE PEOPLE

6. • ON THE EAST, PLAINS
OF BENGAL WHERE
GANGES FLOWS INTO
THE BAY OF BENGAL.
CLIMATE IS HOT AND
HUMAN.
• BOTH FRESHWATER
AND SEA FISH,
SHELLFISH, COCONUT
PALMS, MUSTARD
PLANTS ARE COMMON
• RICE IS ABUNDANT.
FURTHER NORTHEAST,
COOL AIR AND
SEASONAL RAINS
CREATE IDEAL
CONDITIONS FOR
CULTIVATING TEA
(DARJEELING TEA)

7. GREAT DECCAN PLATEAU LINED
ON BOTH SIDES BY A CHAIN
OF HILLS KNOWN AS GHAT.
POOR SOIL, LACK OF
IRRIGATION RESTRICT
AGRICULTURE. NORTHWEST
OF DECCAN LIES GUJARAT,
RICH SOIL FOR COTTON,
MILLET, BARLEY, LEGUMES,
AND VARIETIES OF
VEGETABLES
BREAD IS STAPLE, VEGETARIAN
POPULATION USES LENTIL
PUREES AND VEGETABLE
COOKED IN SESAME OIL ARE
COMMON FOOD.

8. TO THE NORTHWEST IS
MAHARASHTRA, GOA AND
MALABAR, TROPICAL
CLIMATE AND MONSOON
RAINS, WET AND HUMID.
RICE IS STAPLE, DISH
(WHITE NON-OILY FISH
CALLED POMFRET AND A
SMALL TRANSPARENT FISH
CALLED BOMBIL IS SUN-
DRIED AND SOLD AS
WAFERS), VARIETY OF
SHELLFISH (PRAWN,
SHRIMP, CRAB, LOBSTER,
CLAMS, AND MUSSELS),
BANANA, PALM (COCONUT,
DATES)
Sabudana: made
from latex of the
sego palm

9. SUMMARY OF CLIMATE:
FOUR SEASONS: DRY, COOL WINTER (DEC-FEB)
DRY, HOT SUMMER (MAR-MAY)
SOUTHWEST MONSOON (JUNE-SEPT)
RETREATING MONSOON (OCT-NOV)
CULTURAL: HINDU 81.3%; ISLAM 12%, CHRISTIAN
2.3%, SIKHISM 1.9%; OTHERS: BUDDIHIST, JAINISM,
AND PARSIS 2.5% TOTAL
RELIGION’S INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE’S FOOD AND
EATING HABITS IS PROFOUND
ORIGINATED FROM INDIA: HINDUISM (NO BEEF),
BUDDHISM, JAINISM, AND SIKHISM (NO BEEF).
MOSLEM (NO PORK) WAS BROUGHT TO INDIA 900
YEARS AGO, SECOND LARGEST POPULATION
THERE IN THE WORLD.
INVASION OF NEW CULTURAL IS MOST INFLUENTIAL
IN NORTH. NATURAL BARRIERS AND LONG
DISTANCE MADE MIGRATION TO THE SOUTH
SLOW AND INFREQUENT.
CERTAIN HINDUS (BRAHMINS AND JAINS) ARE
STRICT VEGETARIANS. MEAT FORBIDDEN ARE
RED MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, SHELLFISH, EGGS,
AND THEIR PRODUCTS
CERTAIN STRICT VEGETARIANS WON’T EAT FOOD
THAT RESEMBLES MEAT, SUCH AS TOMATOES,
RED BEETS, AND WATERMELON BECAUSE OF
THEIR FLESH LIKE COLOR. NEITHER DO THEY
USE SEASONINGS THAT ARE STRONG AND
GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE COOKING OF
MEAT, SUCH AS GARLIC AND ONION

10. COOKING STYLE
NORTH INDIA HAS THE MOST POPULAR AND
REFINED STYLE OF COOKING. ORIGINATED
FROM MOGHULS IN SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
THERE ARE TURK-MONGOLS BY ORIGIN
AND MOSLEM BY RELIGION. THEY ADMIRE
MOST CULTURE IS PERSIAN SINCE THEY
ARE INFLUENCE BY IT ON THEIR WAY TO
INDIA.
MOGHUL FOOD: LOVERS OF NATURE AND
FOOD LIFE, KEEN SENSE OF BEAUTY, AND A
PASSION FOR ELEGANCE. GOOD FOR
MEAT PREPARATIONS AND RICE PILAFS,
DELICATE FLAVORINGS AND SUPERB SILK
SAUCES (OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR PERSIAN
DISH).
YOGURT, CREAM, FRUIT AND NUT BETTERS
ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE FOOD TO
MELLOW AND VELVETIZE THE SAUCES
MILD BUT FRAGRANT SPICES: CINNAMON,
CARDAMOM, MACE, NUTMEG AND CLOVE;
SAFFRON (ESPECIALLY IN RICE PILAFS)
Tandoori oven

11. THE FOUNDATION OF INDIAN COOKING RESTS ON THE
FLAVORINGS OF SPICES ANDHERBS, NOT ON SPECIAL
TECHNIQUES OR EXPENSIVE INGREDIENTSIT IS AN ART THAN A SCIENCE, HIGHLY
PERSONALIZED, REFLECTING INDIVIDUAL
TASTES.
KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO USE SPICES AND
HERBS IS THE KEY THAT WILL UNLOCK THE
SECRETS OF THE INDIAN COOKING
SOME HERBS AND SPICES FOR AROMATICS,
SOME LEND COLORING, OTHERS AS
SOURING AGENTS, SOME GIVE A HOT TASTE,
OTHERS THICKEN OR TENDERIZE A DISH
THE ROLE OF SPICES AND HERBS GOES FAR
BEYOND PLEASING THE PALATE AND
SOOTHING THE SENSES. THEY ARE
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES KNOWN TO
ANCIENT INDIAN (PREVENTIVE AND
CURATIVE POWERS)
EXAMPLE: NORTH INDIAN APPETIZER IS
ALWAYS SPRINKLED WITH BLACK SALT AND
LEMON JUICE, BOTH OF WHICH ARE KNOWN
FOR STIMULATING THE APPETITE AND
INCREASING BLOOD CIRCULATION.

12. SPICES
“WARM” SPICES: GENERATE INTERNAL BODY HEAT (RECOMMENDED FOR COLD
WEATHER). EXAMPLES: BAY LEAF, BLACK CARDAMOM, CINNAMON, GINGER
POWDER, MACE, NUTMEG, RED PEPPER (USED OFTEN IN COOL CLIMATE OF
KASHMIR). TEA IS FLAVORED BY CINNAMON AND CARDAMOM IN COOL
CLIMATE.
“COOL” SPICES: TAKE HEAT AWAY FROM ONE’S SYSTEM. ALL OTHER SPICES
RANGE FROM VERY COOL TO MODERATE WARM AND SUITABLE AT ALL TIMES
IN ALL CLIMATES
IN PLAIN REGION, ‘COOL’ SPICES ADDED TO BEVERAGES “COOL PUNCH’ MILK,
ALMOND MILK, SUNFLOWER AND CANTALOUPE SEEDS, FENNEL, CLOVES, AND
GREEN CARDAMOM
SPICES INDUCE PERSPIRATION: HOT WEATHER INDIANS DRINK HOT SPICE-
LACED TEA; SOME SPICES HAVE SEVERAL PROPERTIES:
SAFFRON: ORANGE-YELLOW COLOR AND A HYPNOTIZING AROMA TO A DISH
CORIANDER: THICKEN A SAUCE AND IMPARTS A NUTTY FRAGRANCE
ONIONS: THICKEN AND PERFUME MOGHUL GRAINS
TOMATOES: TENDERIZING AND SOURING AGENTS
SPICES ALL HAVE TO BE COOKED BEFORE USE, MIXED WELL-BALANCE, NO
ONCE DOMINATES.

13. Name
Lend
aroma or
fragrance
Lend
taste or
flavor
Lend Color
or visual
appear
Act as
thickeners
Notes
Asafetida yes Are dried gum resins from roots of certain Iranian and Indian plants; Use as
substitute for Onions for Hindu and Jains
Bay leaf yes Leave if cassia tree native to China, Southeast Asia, and northeastern India; for
meat dishes and pilaf in Moghul cooking
Cardamom yes Black sees of the fruit of the cardamom plant native to south India and Sri
Lanka; Green cardamom: used in dessert, sweetmeats, conserves; black
cardamom: in meat and vegetable dishes, relishes, sweet pickles, pilaf in
Moghul cooking
Carom
(lovage)
yes Seed of the thymol plant; flavoring vegetables, breads, and pastries, fish, pickles
of sweet and hot
Cinnamon yes Bark of cassia or cinnamon trees; used in Moghul pilafs (not in desserts)
Clove yes Dried bud of plant Syzygium Aromaticum, native to the Molucca islands in
eastern Indonesia; in meat, pilafs, and seafoods
Coriander yes yes Dried ripe fruit of the coriander plant native to Asia Minor and Southern
Europe; use as sauces and gravies, and in appetizers and yogurt salad
Cumin yes Dried ripe fruit of the cumin plant; very important in northern and western
Indian cooking; white cumin: native to Egypt and western parts of Asia Minor;
uses in appetizers and yogurt salad; black cumin: grow in mountains of
southeastern Iran and along the valleys of Kashmir; use in lab dishes and
Moghul pilafs
Fennel yes Seedlike fruit of the fennel plant native to the Mediterranean region; pickles,
meat, vegetables, and pilafs
Fenugreek yes An annual herb of the bean family native to India and Asia Minor; vegetarian
cooking and pickling; dried leaves for potatoes and yams, stuffing for breads,
flavoring for crackers

14. CLASSIC INDIAN COOKING BY JULIE SAHNI, WILLIAM MORROW AND
COMPANY, INC, NEW YORK, 1980,541PP.
Nutmeg yes Dark brown shell enclosed within the mace membrane; uses in Moghul and Kashmiri cooking, vegetable
preparations and relishes
Onion
seed
yes Nigella, nothing in common with onion plant; uses in pickling, vegetable dishes; sprinkling on top of
tandoor-baked bread
Paprika red From mild variety of chili pod of the plant Capsicum grown in the valleys of Kashmir; uses in Kashmiri
cooking for read coloring like kabobs, kaftas and other meat
Pomegran
ate
Sweeti
sh-
sour
Fruit of the tropical tree native to Asia Minor and Mediterranean regions; uses in vegetables and lentils
in north Indian cooking; and in pastries
Poppy
seed
yes White poppy seed plant native to Asia Minor (no opium); uses in meat, dish, and shellfish as thickener
Red
pepper
hot Red chili; sun dried chili pod of the plant Capsicum; uses for hot and enhance other flavorings
Saffron Yes orangi
sh-
yellow
Dried stigmas of flowers of the saffron plant native to Asia Minor and southern Europe; Most expensive
spice in the world ($2,000 per pound; takes a quarter of a million dried stigma from 75,000 flowers to
make a pound); uses in meat and poultry, rice, desserts, and pilafs
Salt Yes alkalin
e
Many varieties of salt; cold appetizers; relishes and cold drinks in north
Tamarind Tangy
-sour
Pulpy pod of the tropical plant Tamarindus Indica, native to India; in North uses in relishes, vegetable,
lentil and beans; in south and southwestern regions as souring agent
Turmeric yes Golde
n
yellow
A perennial tropical herb native to India; Roots are the main ingredient in curry powder; uses in
vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood; never used in dishes containing cream; most important and sacred
spice of Hindus and used in religious and social rituals (bride neck thread is dipped in turmeric paste;
not as popular in north and northwestern region (Saffron and other coloring flowering replace it);