India

Indian cuisine is as diverse as the country’s culture, geography and climate. Some Indian ingredients, such as wheat, barley, rice, tamarind, eggplant and cucumber, date back 5,000 years, giving this culture ample time to perfect the artistry of its cuisine, which relies on subtly combining aromatic spices and herbs to create delicious meals. Indians use food as a solution to the climate—combating sweltering temperatures by cooking with hot chili peppers and garlic, used to help the body sweat and cool down. Colder areas are known to use other spices to help warm the body, such as cloves, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cardamom and nutmeg.

Its culinary traditions can be traced to specific religions (Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Jains) and regions (north, south, east and west). Northern India relies on the tandoor oven for flat breads, samosas (delicious stuffed pouches eaten as a snack) kebabs, lentils and more dairy than other parts of India. Eastern India, known for its mellow Bengali curries, also produces numerous fish dishes and traditional sweets. Southern India relies most of all on rice, and you’ll encounter the dosa, similar to samosas, a typical snack. Western India primarily serves vegetarian food that can have a sweet flavor from the addition of sugar. All over, you’ll find tea is a staple, and is often prepared as masala chai, where the tea is mixed with spices, such as cardamom, cloves, ginger boiled with milk.—Denise Shoukas

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