In much of the rest of the world we think we know a lot about Indian food.

With the current food halls and a never ending amount of curry houses in many of the world’s cities and towns you can be forgiven the assumption.

But what we are really eating could be nothing of the sort, what is often sold as ultimately “Indian” may be a myriad of other things, indeed it could be African, Asian, or some watered down version for westerners.  But Indian food is rather diverse, as is India herself, and you cannot get away with travelling this country without trying its amazingly diverse food.

The national cuisine has been diversified through India’s rich history. Fiercely regional, India’s Food and drink are an experience.  Many people return home not satisfied with their bland everyday meals anymore, and many others leave with what is loosely termed “Delhi Belly”.

Etiquette

In India eating with your hand (rather than forks and spoons) is very common. There's one basic rule to observe especially in non-urban India: Use only your right hand. Don't stick either hand into communal serving dishes, instead, use the left hand to serve yourself with utensils and then eat up.

Regional Variances

North and South

Regional variances generally occur with the different uses of the different spices.  Dishes in the south tend to be slightly hotter and spicier than in the north.  You are likely to find seafood and coconut is common here.  By contrast the north is known for their use of curd, cream and cottage cheese.  Generally they use a vegetable oil in the north while the south favor a nut (like peanut) or sesame based oil.

Vegetarianism is common in India. The main staples are rice, breads made from whole wheat flour (roti, Chappati, naan and paratha to name a few), and a large variety of spices. If you are visiting India there are two foods that you are guaranteed to find you get with each meal.  In the north this is breads and rice if you are travel in the south. 

Western India 

In western India seafood is again popular, with the most commonly known dish of Bombay duck-a fish dish for those of you who didn’t know. Salmon is also used here. Meat delicacies are widely consumed in Rajasthan, and fish curries are largely popular in Goa.  These are usually washed down with a local alcoholic beverage known as feni.

Eastern India 

In eastern India you will find a brilliant selection of local sweets made with milk and curd. These include Gulab Jamuns, Chena Murkhi and Anarkali.  Fish and seafood again plays a large part in the local culinary dishes, and will be some of the tastiest you will come across.

Drinks

Drinks in India are just as interesting, much of the population drink Chai.  Coffee is available but not as common outside of the middle classes. Lassi is a yoghurt based drink, many Indian restaurants around the world serve mango lassi. Often on roadside stalls you will come across a drink made from carbonated soda water (or some other fizzy drink), salt and lime.  Fruit juices are also popular; along with the ordinary you may find sugar cane mango and guava juices are popular. Other options are Jal Jeera; a water and cumin mix, and coconut milk.