INDIAN FOOD

INDIAN FOOD

India is the seventh largest country in the world. It has mountains, plateaus and plains. It is also the second most populated country after China. Some places are extremely cold while other places are hot and dry. It makes it blissful, because of the different weather conditions, the farmers grow many kinds of food-grains, vegetables and fruits in the country.

The two most common food-grains in the country are wheat and rice. The people of India eats either wheat or rice in their meals, because it suits in the country's weather.

Rice crop

Other food-grains are Jowar, Bajra and Maize. These cereals are eaten in the desert state of Rajasthan.

Wheat is the staple diet of the people of the north and the west India. Rice is eaten in the eastern and the southern

Jowar

states of India like West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In east India, rice is eaten with fish. Indian farmers produce a large variety of pulses. These include lentils (dals), beans, chickpeas and pigeon peas.

Bajra

Wheat crop

Some people eat eggs, fish and meat; while some people do not eat eggs, fish and meat. The people who live in the coastal areas eat a lot of fish.

 Indian food is also heavily influenced by religion, in particular cultural choices or traditions.

1)  Goa is famous for fish curry, such as2)  Telangana is famous for biryani, 3) Bihar is famous for litti chowkha, 4) Assam is famous for papaya khar, 5) pongal is famous in Tamil Nadu, 6) makki di roti and sarson da saag is famous in Punjab, 7) misal pav is famous in Maharashtra, 8) West Bengal is famous for kosha mangsho, 9) dhokla is famous in Gujarat, 10) rogan josh is famous in Kashmir, 11) Himachal Pradesh is famous for dham, 12) pootha rekulu is famous in Andhra Pradesh, 13) Tripura is famous for chakhwi, 14) Manipur is famous for kangshoi, 15) Meghalaya is famous for jadoh, 16) Uttarakhand is famous for kafuli, 17) Uttar Pradesh is famous for kabab, 18) Kerala is famous for appam, 19) Madhya Pradesh is famous for bhutte ka kees , 20) Rajasthan is famous for dal baati churma, 21) Haryana is famous for bajre ki khichdi, 22) Arunachal Pradesh is famous for thukpa, 23) Sikkim is famous for momos, 24) bisi bele bath is famous in Karnataka, 25) Nagaland is famous for pork with bamboo shoots, 26) Mizoram is famous for misa mash poora, 27) Chhatisgarh is famous for chila, 28) Jharkhand is famous for rugda, 29) Odisha is famous for chenna poda.

India is the largest producer of spices.

Spices give flavor, color and fragrance to food and it is also good for health when it is used in a proper proportion. The spices used in Indian dishes are turmeric (haldi), chillies (mirchi), ginger (adrak), coriander (dhaniya), cardamom (elaichi), cloves (lavang) and saffron (kesar).

Indian people use different oils to cook food. Mustard oil is used in West Bengal. Other edible oils are ghee, coconut, sunflower and groundnut.

A large variety of vegetables and fruits are grown in different parts of India. Indian people eat different fruits in different seasons.

Fruits and vegetables 

Himachal Pradesh is famous for its apples. Cherries and strawberries are grown in Kashmir. Mangoes grow in summer and grapes grow in winter. Coconut is grown mainly in the coastal regions of India. Bihar is famous for lychees and Nagpur for oranges. Apricots are grown in Ladakh. Pineapples are grown in Goa and bananas are grown in Kerala and Assam.

Milk and milk products such as ghee, curd, butter, different types of sweets are an important part of the diet. The people of India love to eat the different types of sweets like jalebi, kalakand, gulab jamun, boondi, laddu, basundi, doodhpak,barffi, peda, kheer, nankhatai, rabri, singori, sohan papdi, rasogulla, etc. In different places of the country you can see another famous sweet of that particular region. A variety of sweets are made in every state of India.

India has a good system of transport. Most food items are transported from one region to anther by train, bus, truck, ship and aeroplane.