Gastronomical Odyssey: A Take on Culinary Cultures

PART I

The Indian Food Safari

The natural and the social are very intimately related. As such, both geography and society/culture deeply influence each and every aspect of our lives, including our food habits. Every corner of the world has its own specific culinary habits and specialties on the basis of the combined effect of their geography and culture. The 21^st century is witness to vanishing boundaries in the food habits of the world leading to the creation of new hybrid food cultures. In spite of that we still do retain the basics everywhere. Culinary habits too have seen a lot of changes: for example, Indians who are traditionally known to eat with the help of their fingers are today eating with the spoon and fork, even at home. This is especially seen among the cosmopolitan city dwellers. Food from different parts of the world is very popular among Indians today, especially the wealthier city dwellers, and every other day a new global food chain is making its presence felt in our country like Subway, McDonald’s etc. Every country has its own culinary culture developed on the basis of its geography, history and the influence of modernity. Writing a gastronomical odyssey on the world will be too big for a blog, so we stick to India which is a mini-world in itself.

Subway: A global food joint thriving in India

The food culture of India has been shaped by its long history since the Indus Valley Civilization, its unique geography and diverse cultural traditions. India has today 29 states and 7 union territories; it has mountains, oceans, the desert, forests, different climatic zones; it has at least 7 religions; it has 4 castes and numerous sub-castes. All of these have come together, along with a variety of other factors, to shape Indian cuisine into what it is today. As a result, India does not have a “national dish” and what we have been eating historically has been proscribed by geography, cultural ideologues and religious beliefs.The various conquests by foreigners on the Indian land have been instrumental in shaping India’s culinary culture. Some of the greatest influences have been from the Mughals and the Europeans. The kinds of spices used, the condiments, etc. are all inspired by these influences in today’s food. Moreover, as pointed out earlier, what Indians eat vary by region. The North Indians mostlyeat rotisand naans while South Indians prefer rice as their staple dish. In the coastal region, fish is very common while in the mountainous regions, animal protein is most common.Food is also decided by religion and therefore Muslims do not eat pork and Brahmins, Buddhists, Jains are typically vegetarians. However, people today mostly do not consider a lot of the religious proscriptions regarding the food they eat. In what follows, we will take a journey around Indian plates to see what India eats.

North Indian Food

North India has extreme climatic conditions and an abundance of seasonal fresh produce all year round. This part of India especially has great influences from Mughlai cuisine. Uttar Pradesh specifically is home to a wide range of Nawabi food, and the Lucknawi Biriyani is famous. The food in north India is quite robust and heavy with spicy and creamy gravies, especially in case of meat and poultry. This is because the climate requires rich food in order to keep the people warm during extremely low temperatures in winter. It also includes a lot of dry fruits and nuts, especially in Kashmiri cuisine. The North Indians also use a lot of milk and milk products to cook their food like cheese, ghee, butter, etc. A lot of the spices used in this kind of cuisine were brought to India by the Mughals, such as cinnamon, clove, cardamom, etc. Dishes such as Korma, Rogan Josh (in picture), Raan, Punjabi Keema, Palak Paneer, Sarsonda Saag, etc. are some of the most famous typically north Indian foods. The staple food in this region is roti or parathas, especially stuffed paratha, which are made from a wide variety of grains such as wheat, jowar, bajra, etc. Rice is eaten less frequently and is had in the form of pulao or biriyani mostly. Snacks such as samosas, chaat (in picture), etc. are also common. Northern India has a rich variety of desserts such as gulab-jamun, jalebi, motichoor ke laddoo, etc. North India is thus home to some of the most delectable dishes in India, especially because of its rich culture of food influenced by the Mughals.

The Rogan Josh: A famous North Indian dish

Chaat: A typically North Indian street food

North East Indian Food

I read somewhere that the best adjectives to describe food from this region are aromatic, pungent, healthy and fresh. This region is home to a large tribal population. The people in this region are among the biggest rice eaters of the country, mainly plain steamed rice. They also eat a wide range of meat such as beef, pork and even dog meat in some areas like Meghalaya and Nagaland, apart from the more common chicken and mutton. Fish, eggs and vegetables also form a part of their cuisine. They also even eat insects like grasshoppers in states like Nagaland, called Ku (in picture with rice beer or Zutho). The most unique thing about this cuisine is its pungency, derived from the use of special ingredients like bamboo shoot, fermented fish and meat. The food here is very simple and less oily and spicy. However, chillies are very common here and this region is house to one of the hottest chillies in the world, the Bhoot Jalokia.In areas like Sikkim, Tibetan influence is very visible in foods like, momo,thukpa,gundruk, etc.With respect to beverages, they usually make their own liquor, especially rice beer, and of course Assam is home to some of the best tea gardens in the world. Butter tea is very common in mountainous regions like Tawang.

Fried Grasshoppers with Rice Beer: A Naga delicacy

East Indian Cuisine

Eastern Indian food is most glaringly predominated by the food culture of West Bengal. The food around here is quite heavily influenced by geography. With the Bay of Bengal on one side, this region is very fond of fish, especially in West Bengal and Orissa. The famous hilsa (in picture),a fresh water fish, is somewhat of a legend in this part of the country, and probably the world over. The shorsheilish is a favourite dish of the people here. The staple food is mostly rice. Vegetarian food is also commonly eaten by the people here, especially further inland such as in Bihar and Jharkhand where Buddhism is a popular religion. Mustard is one of the essential ingredients in East Indian cooking, mostly in West Bengal, used in a number of forms like mustard oil, mustard seeds either whole or paste, etc. Other important condiments used in Bengali cooking mostly include the paanchphoron or five spices, chillies, especially dried red chillies, etc. The phuchka is a very famous street food in Bengal. And not to forget of course, the rosogolla! It has been Bengal’s face the world over and is one of the best examples of the importance of sweets in the food culture of this region. Bengal is probably the sweet capital of the country with a large array of delectable sweet dishes like the mishit doi(in picture), lengcha, etc.

Hilsa: One of the most famous varieties of fish that eastern India produces

Mishti Doi: A favourite dessert among Bengalis

South Indian Food

This region too is surrounded by water and thus fish is a very important part of the food here. The different states have very different types of cuisine here. Andhra Pradesh is mostly vegetarian with fish eaten in the coastal areas. However, Hyderabad is famous for its non-vegetarian nizami cuisine, which is like North Indian cuisine and therefore quite rich, using dry fruits and nuts, saffron, etc. and includes a lot of meat and poultry. The Hyderabadi biriyani is famous. Tamil Nadu’s chettinad cuisine, which is quite hot and spicy, is vegetarian and Kerala’s Malabar cuisine is seafood based. Rice is the staple food here, eaten in different forms like idli, dosa (in picture), uttapam. Lentils are consumed in plenty through dishes like the sambhar, rasam, etc. A lot of the cuisine here is sour to help cope with the hot humid climate. Coconut oil is the most favoured type of cooking medium and spices include curry eaves, asafetida, fenugreek, chillies, etc. Coconut milk too is very commonly used here. Chutneys are a very important part of south Indian cuisine in all the different “food zones”. The most famous dishes of this region include the dosa, idli, vada, and different fishes cooked in tamarind curries.

            Dosa, Vada and Idlis:  Few dishes that South India is most known for, rather stereotypically.

West Indian Food

This region has a very hot climate, with some parts humid and some parts dry. It too has a coastline and therefore, obviously, fish is important. Goan food is heavily influenced by its Portugese heritage in dishes like the vindaloo. Rajasthan and Gujarat, dry states, are vegetarian mainly and put a lot of stress on preserving food, which explains why pickles are so common here. The thali(in picture) culture is common here and people eat large traditional meals with numerous courses. The staple food here is roti mostly, made of varieties of cheaper grains found in desert regions like jowar and bajra. However, in coastal regions rice is eaten abundantly. Maharashtra has a lot of non-vegetarian items on its typical platter, fish being an important one, and coconut uses a lot of coconut milk is commonly used in the traditional dishes. Meat and poultry are very commonly eaten here, especially in Goa where pork is regularly eaten. This region uses different kinds of vegetable oil in cooking like canola oil, sunflower oil, etc. The main spices used here are sesamesesame seeds, nuts, dried red chillies, etc. This region is also home to some of the most famous snacks across India like the dhokla (in picture), panipuri, chaat, etc. Famous dishes of this region include pork vindaloo,dal-bati-churma, thepla, etc. 

The Thali: A platter of all varieties of dishes in a typical West Indian meal

Dhokla: A Gujrati delicacy

Indian food culture is thus extremely rich, with every region having a unique cuisine that is evolving each day with the impacts of globalization and modernization. The rich cultural heritage of India has been reflected in its food with the influences of history as evident as those of geography, religion, social prescriptions regarding what is acceptable and what is not, even in the realm of what we eat. As I said earlier, a lot of these boundaries, rules and regulations are now loosening up due to effects of modernization. Yet, strangely, we are desperately trying to hold on to our food culture even as we are delving into newer food cultures from around the world. Someone had said, ‘you are what you eat’. It seems quite right because in the food we eat in India is the clue to who we are today – a people that is the perfect admixture of the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, seen as much in the clothes on our backs as in the food on our plates.

The photographs have been taken from various internet sources

Subway https://www.google.co.in/search?q=typical+west+indian+food&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=tQOsVNCbMoOxuQTm3IKwCQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=subway&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=S1Gz0SwTd9yiTM%253A%3BJG1-l9Q2MeO-LM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.downtownchathamcentre.ca%252Fsubway%252Ffiles%252F2010%252F11%252FDSC_02641.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.downtownchathamcentre.ca%252Fsubway%252F%3B500%3B332

Rogan Josh https://www.google.co.in/search?q=rogan+josh&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=UP-rVM_IE8i8uASGhIL4CQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=seTF04G3ZS-RrM%253A%3ByAt2XYvb4KbUKM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.telegraph.co.uk%252Fmultimedia%252Farchive%252F01406%252Fpkids3_1406376c.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%252Ffoodanddrink%252Frecipes%252F5351294%252FCooking-with-children-Lamb-Rogan-Josh.html%3B460%3B288

Chaat https://www.google.co.in/search?q=chaat&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NgGsVIzcMoO8uASj_YCACQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=eQ_RDpUDKToVOM%253A%3B1dnSHGmfB29oNM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fnewyork.seriouseats.com%252Fimages%252F20100307chaat-BombayChat.JPG%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fnewyork.seriouseats.com%252F2010%252F03%252Fthe-best-chaat-in-jackson-heights.html%3B500%3B333

Fried grasshoppers with rice beer https://www.google.co.in/search?q=fried+grasshoppers+with+rice+beer&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&tbm=isch&imgil=t5o2Xt6mnx7BfM%253A%253BXBryLeI3PNdx1M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fblog.theotherhome.com%25252Fnorth-east-india-cuisine%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=t5o2Xt6mnx7BfM%253A%252CXBryLeI3PNdx1M%252C_&usg=__fPXtn44vAT0GKEwfUDp76UM1HfM%3D&ved=0CC4Qyjc&ei=jAGsVI6ALpSgugTSsoCYBg#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=t5o2Xt6mnx7BfM%253A%3BXBryLeI3PNdx1M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblog.theotherhome.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F07%252FKU-Grasshopper-and-ZUTHO-Rice-Beer.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblog.theotherhome.com%252Fnorth-east-india-cuisine%252F%3B602%3B432

Hilsa https://www.google.co.in/search?q=shorshe+ilish&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=EwKsVLbzCNCFuwTBooHADw&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=e58bFvWZe1vvSM%253A%3Bk2LlL6OH_7wrdM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F_ZUIysd1Ni3E%252FTT9quZSnpeI%252FAAAAAAAAATk%252FyNSxaWeO0pQ%252Fs1600%252FDoi%252BIlish_border.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbhalokhabo.blogspot.com%252F2011%252F01%252Fdoi-ilish-hilsa.html%3B1600%3B1218

Mishti doi https://www.google.co.in/search?q=mishti+doi&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=OQKsVPXJFIzJuASR7YDgCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=gjAWDFl_vRBxUM%253A%3BCe0wjtIV4RkLbM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbengalicuisine.net%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2009%252F08%252FMishti-Doi-2-300x201.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbengalicuisine.net%252F2009%252Fmishti-doi%252F%3B300%3B201

Dosa https://www.google.co.in/search?q=south+indian+food&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&tbm=isch&imgil=pLbHYyeTSwMORM%253A%253BYeFBCSWiamxuJM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Ftimescity.com%25252Fblog%25252Fmadras-cafe-breakfast%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=pLbHYyeTSwMORM%253A%252CYeFBCSWiamxuJM%252C_&usg=__zWpO93lLVpW2BrlfZ6B7rQ1lMI8%3D&ved=0CCwQyjc&ei=ngKsVLyMNYKauQSr5IKAAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=pLbHYyeTSwMORM%253A%3BYeFBCSWiamxuJM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fim.timescitycontent.com%252Fblog%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2013%252F09%252Ftop.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftimescity.com%252Fblog%252Fmadras-cafe-breakfast%252F%3B1800%3B1013

The thali https://www.google.co.in/search?q=typical+west+indian+food&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=tQOsVNCbMoOxuQTm3IKwCQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=typical+west+india+food&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=ly86jyoUGb-fCM%253A%3Bhaxj7hfX8PEAZM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Filovetheupperwestside.com%252Fmaterial%252Fmedia%252Fauthentic-indian-food-upper-west-side.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Filovetheupperwestside.com%252Fbest-indian-food-on-the-upper-west-side%252F%3B550%3B413

Dhokla https://www.google.co.in/search?q=typical+west+indian+food&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=629&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=tQOsVNCbMoOxuQTm3IKwCQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#tbm=isch&q=dhiokla&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=1o3Iu7NyePjUvM%253A%3BExCyo2Q9Mu_2YM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftotalveg.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2010%252F08%252FMoong-dal-dhokla.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftotalveg.com%252Fmoong-dal-dhokla%252F6093%3B410%3B272

Author’s Bio-Note:

Rikhia Ghoshal is a Sociology graduate, who has completed her studies from St. Xavier’s College and Jadavpur University, Kolkata. She is currently preparing for her Ph. D in the same field. Born and brought up in Kolkata, her life is ostensibly linked to food, as is the case with most Bengalis.