Exploring the Unity and Diversity of Indian Cuisine

 

Just like the country, Indian cuisine too is richly diverse. 

 

With rice being the staple crop in Southern India their specialties are rice-based dishes like - Dosa, Appam, Paniyaram, Idlis, etc. While Northern India expresses its fascination for wheat through breads like - Naan, Phulka, Paratha, Kulcha et al! Although they too have a rich repository of rice dishes like - Biryanis, Pulao, Khichdi etc. cooked with slightly different ingredients and preparation methods, making them unique. 

 

Coming to veggies, Kerala swears by Avial which is a yummy blend of seasonal veggies cooked with yogurt and coconut. Avial’s West Indian counterpart is Gujarati Undhiyu and its North Indian cousin is mixed vegetables cooked in spicy gravy

 

All Indians unanimously pamper their sweet tooth! A quick recce of the rich and creamy South Indian Pal Payasam and the lip-smacking thick North Indian Kheer reveal commonalities of - milk, rice and dry fruits; and differences in terms of types of rice. While Kolam Rice and jaggery are used to sweeten the Pal Payasam; it’s Basmati Rice and sugar which is a mandate for the Kheer 

 

The yummy Puran Polis served by Maharashtrians on auspicious occasions; find their mate in the Thengai or Coconut Poli prepared on the first day of Pongal in South India. The only feature which sets them apart is the filling – while Maharashtrians opt for mashed dal; South Indians prefer their favourite coconut. But both demand a nice dollop of ghee.

 

Are you geared up to delve into the unity and diversity of India’s regional cuisine?