World Cuisines विश्व के व्यंजन 17
Indian Cuisine
Not one cuisine but dozens: wheat and dairy in the north, rice, coconut and curry leaves in the south, mustard oil and fish in the east, and sweet-sour vegetarian food in the west. Ayurveda's six tastes and religious traditions (Jain, vegetarian) shape it.
Bihari Cuisine
Earthy, rustic food of the Gangetic plain. Sattu powers summer; litti is roasted on coal; Mithila cooking is rich in fish, makhana and dahi-chura. Chhath Puja brings thekua.
Punjabi Cuisine
Rich, buttery and hearty; the tandoor and dhaba culture.
Bengali Cuisine
A meal served in courses from bitter to sweet; famous sweets made from chhena.
Gujarati Cuisine
Mostly vegetarian, gently sweet and tangy, with famous farsan snacks.
Rajasthani Cuisine
Desert cooking that keeps for days with little water.
Kashmiri Cuisine
Pandit and Muslim traditions; the wazwan is a feast of up to 36 courses.
Kerala Cuisine
Coconut everywhere; Hindu, Syrian Christian and Mappila Muslim traditions.
Tamil & Chettinad Cuisine
Rice, sambar, rasam and the spice-rich Chettinad tradition.
Karnataka & Udupi Cuisine
Udupi temple food gave the world the masala dosa.
Hyderabadi Cuisine
Nizami royal cooking.
Andhra Cuisine
India's spiciest food.
Goan Cuisine
Konkani Hindu and Portuguese-Catholic traditions meet.
Maharashtrian & Malvani Cuisine
From Mumbai street food to Kolhapur's fiery rassa and Malvan seafood.
Awadhi & Mughlai Cuisine
Royal cuisine of the Mughals and Nawabs.
Odia Cuisine
Temple cuisine of Puri's Jagannath kitchen, one of the world's largest.
Northeast Indian Cuisine
Little oil, lots of fermentation and fire.
Food खाना 93
Litti Chokha
Bihar's signature dish. Litti are wheat balls stuffed with sattu (roasted gram flour), ajwain, garlic, ginger, lemon and mustard oil, roasted over cow-dung cakes or coal and dipped in ghee. Chokha is smoky mashed baingan, tomato and aloo with mustard oil.
Champaran Mutton (Ahuna / Handi Meat)
Mutton slow-cooked in a sealed clay pot (ahuna/handi) over charcoal with whole garlic bulbs and mustard oil.
Thekua
Crunchy, jaggery-sweetened fried cookie pressed in a wooden mould, the sacred prasad of Chhath Puja.
Khaja
Flaky, many-layered fried sweet; Silao khaja has a GI tag.
Dal Pitha
Steamed rice dumplings stuffed with spiced lentil paste, Bihar's answer to momos.
Sattu Paratha
Paratha filled with sattu, onion, green chilli, ajwain and pickle oil.
Malpua (Bihari)
Fried sweet pancakes dipped in syrup, made at Holi in Bihar.
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Tandoori chicken in a mild, buttery tomato gravy, created in Delhi by Punjabi refugees from Peshawar.
Tandoori Chicken
Yoghurt-marinated chicken roasted in a clay tandoor oven.
Chole Bhature
Tangy dark chickpea curry with large puffed fried bread.
Sarson ka Saag & Makki di Roti
Slow-cooked mustard greens with butter, eaten with maize-flour roti in Punjab's winter.
Rajma Chawal
Comfort food of North India: red kidney beans in thick gravy with rice. Jammu's small Bhaderwahi rajma are prized.
Dal Makhani
Black lentils simmered overnight with butter and cream.
Biryani (Hyderabadi)
Kacchi (raw-meat) dum biryani: marinated raw meat and par-cooked rice are layered and sealed with dough to cook in their own steam.
Biryani (Lucknowi / Awadhi)
Pakki style: meat and rice cooked separately then layered; subtle and fragrant.
Biryani (Kolkata)
Light, mildly spiced biryani with a famous potato, brought by the exiled Nawab of Awadh.
Biryani (Malabar / Thalassery)
Fragrant biryani using short-grain jeerakasala rice.
Rogan Josh
Red lamb curry from the Kashmiri wazwan feast; the colour comes from mild Kashmiri chillies and ratanjot.
Gushtaba
Velvety mutton meatballs in yoghurt, the last dish of the wazwan.
Dal Baati Churma
Hard-baked wheat rolls broken into ghee, eaten with five-lentil dal and sweet churma.
Laal Maas
Fiery red mutton curry, once made with game meat.
Gatte ki Sabzi
Steamed besan dumplings in tangy yoghurt curry, a dish of the dry desert.
Dhokla
Soft, spongy steamed savoury cake tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Undhiyu
Mixed winter vegetables slow-cooked upside down in an earthen pot, made at Uttarayan.
Gujarati Thali
A balanced platter that is sweet, salty, sour and spicy at once; refills keep coming.
Vada Pav
Mumbai's iconic street food, created around 1966 by Ashok Vaidya near Dadar station.
Pav Bhaji
Spicy mashed vegetables cooked on a giant griddle with loads of butter, invented for textile-mill workers.
Misal Pav
Fiery sprout curry topped with crunchy farsan and onion.
Puran Poli
Sweet flatbread made for festivals like Holi and Gudi Padwa.
Malvani Fish Curry
Coconut fish curry soured with kokum.
Goan Fish Curry (Xitt Kodi)
Goa's everyday meal: tangy red coconut fish curry with rice.
Pork Vindaloo
From Portuguese 'carne de vinha d'alhos' (meat in wine and garlic); Goans used palm vinegar and chillies. Tangy, not just fiery.
Xacuti
Complex curry of roasted coconut and many spices.
Masala Dosa
Crisp fermented crêpe wrapped around potato masala; the Mysore version has red chutney spread inside.
Idli Sambar
Soft steamed cakes, one of the healthiest breakfasts in the world.
Bisi Bele Bath
Hot lentil rice from Karnataka.
Chettinad Chicken
Peppery, aromatic curry of the Chettiar merchant community.
Pongal
Ven pongal is savoury breakfast; sakkarai pongal is sweet and made at the harvest festival Pongal.
Kerala Sadya
Onam's grand vegetarian feast: avial, olan, thoran, sambar, rasam, payasam and more on a banana leaf.
Appam & Stew
Soft-centred, crisp-edged rice pancakes with a mild coconut milk stew, a Syrian Christian classic.
Karimeen Pollichathu
Pearl spot fish smeared in masala and cooked wrapped in banana leaf.
Puttu & Kadala
Steamed cylinders of rice and coconut.
Hyderabadi Haleem
Slow-pounded wheat and meat porridge, made during Ramadan; GI tagged.
Gongura Mutton
Spicy mutton cooked with sour gongura leaves; Andhra food is India's spiciest.
Machher Jhol
Light Bengali fish curry, everyday food.
Shorshe Ilish
Hilsa in pungent mustard sauce, the most loved Bengali dish.
Kosha Mangsho
Slow-fried, dark, rich mutton curry.
Rasgulla
Spongy cheese balls in light syrup; Kolkata's Nobin Chandra Das popularised it in 1868, while Odisha's version is offered at Puri temple.
Sandesh
Delicate fresh-cheese sweet, best with winter date-palm jaggery.
Mishti Doi
Sweet set yoghurt in clay pots.
Dalma
Odisha's lentil and vegetable stew, also offered at the Jagannath temple.
Chhena Poda
'Burnt cheese': caramelised baked cheesecake of Odisha.
Momos
Steamed dumplings from Tibet and Nepal that became India's favourite street snack.
Thukpa
Hearty Himalayan noodle soup.
Smoked Pork with Bamboo Shoot
Naga signature with fermented bamboo and the ghost chilli (bhut jolokia).
Masor Tenga
Light sour fish curry of Assam.
Kebabs of Lucknow (Galouti)
Melt-in-the-mouth kebab created for a toothless Nawab.
Nihari
Stew cooked overnight and eaten at dawn (nahar = morning).
Chaat (Papdi, Aloo Tikki, Golgappe)
North India's tangy-sweet-spicy snacks. Golgappe are called pani puri in Mumbai and puchka in Kolkata.
Samosa
Fried triangular pastry that travelled from Central Asia with traders in medieval times.
Paneer Tikka
Tandoor-grilled cubes of Indian cottage cheese.
Pani Puri
Crisp hollow puris filled with spiced tamarind-mint water.
Gulab Jamun
Fried milk dumplings in rose-cardamom syrup.
Jalebi
Crisp spirals soaked in syrup.
Kheer / Payasam
Slow-cooked rice pudding made for festivals; payasam in the south.
Kulfi
Dense, slow-melting frozen dessert.
Mysore Pak
Rich ghee fudge created in the Mysore Palace kitchen.
Petha
Translucent candy of ash gourd.
Modak
Steamed dumpling, Lord Ganesha's favourite sweet.
Hakka Noodles & Chilli Chicken (Indo-Chinese)
Indian-Chinese cuisine was created by Hakka Chinese settlers in Kolkata; Manchurian was invented in Mumbai in 1975.
Turmeric (Haldi)
Earthy, bitter golden root; India grows about 75% of the world's supply. Gives curries their yellow colour.
Cumin (Jeera)
Warm, nutty seed; crackled whole in hot oil (tadka) or roasted and ground.
Cardamom (Elaichi)
The 'queen of spices': floral and sweet. Black cardamom (badi elaichi) is smoky.
Black Pepper (Kali Mirch)
The 'king of spices' and 'black gold', which drew European traders to Kerala.
Mustard Seed (Rai, Sarson)
Popped in oil for South Indian tadka; ground raw for Bengali dishes.
Fenugreek (Methi)
Bitter seeds; dried leaves (kasuri methi) perfume butter chicken.
Garam Masala
A warming blend added near the end of cooking; every family has its own.
Panch Phoron
Bengal's five-seed tempering.
Ajwain (Carom)
Thyme-like seed aiding digestion; essential in litti, parathas, pakoras.
Kalonji (Nigella)
Small black seeds on naan and in pickles.
Kashmiri Chilli
Gives deep red colour with mild heat.
Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper)
One of the world's hottest chillies, over 1 million Scoville units.
Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta)
Aromatic leaves crackled in South Indian tempering.
Paneer
Fresh unsalted cheese that doesn't melt; India's main vegetarian protein.
Chhena
Unpressed paneer kneaded for rasgulla and sandesh.
Ghee
Butter simmered until milk solids brown and are removed; high smoke point.
Kalari & Churpi
Indian traditional cheeses: kalari is fried 'milk cake'; churpi is hard yak cheese chewed for hours.
Naan
Soft, chewy flatbread slapped on the inside of a tandoor.
Roti / Chapati
Unleavened daily flatbread cooked on a tawa and puffed over flame (phulka).
Paratha
Pan-fried in ghee, plain (layered) or stuffed (aloo, gobi, sattu).
Puri & Luchi
Puffed fried breads for festivals.
Basmati Rice
Long fragrant grains that lengthen when cooked; GI tagged.
Millets (Shree Anna)
Ancient drought-hardy grains; India is the largest producer, and 2023 was the UN Year of Millets.
Drinks पेय 37
Indian Wine (Nashik)
Nashik is India's wine capital, producing most of the country's wine. Indian winemakers prune grapes so they ripen in the dry winter season.
Indian Strong Beer
India's best-selling beers are 'strong' lagers above 5% alcohol, a style shaped by tax rules and taste.
Craft Beer (Indian microbreweries)
Bengaluru has more microbreweries than any Indian city, brewing wheat beers, IPAs and stouts on site.
Palm Toddy (Kallu / Tadi)
Palm sap starts fermenting naturally within hours of tapping. Kerala's toddy shops (kallu shaap) serve it with fiery fish curry and tapioca. Known as tadi in Bihar.
Handia
Traditional Adivasi rice beer, central to festivals and hospitality.
Chhaang
Himalayan millet beer. Tongba is the version sipped through a bamboo straw from a wooden vessel filled with hot water.
Apong
Rice beer of the Mising and other communities of the Northeast.
South Indian Filter Coffee
Strong coffee decoction dripped through a two-part metal filter, mixed with boiled milk and sugar, and frothed by pouring between a tumbler and a davara.
Masala Chai
India's everyday tea: tea leaves boiled with milk, water, sugar and spices. Every home has its own mix; ginger (adrak) and cardamom (elaichi) are the most common.
Darjeeling Tea
The 'champagne of teas': light, floral and muscatel, grown on Himalayan slopes. First flush (spring) is delicate; second flush (summer) is fuller. GI protected.
Assam Tea
Strong, malty black tea from the world's largest tea-growing region; the base of most breakfast teas and Indian chai.
Nilgiri Tea
Bright, fragrant black tea from the blue mountains of the south; good iced.
Kashmiri Kahwa
Fragrant green tea brewed in a samovar with saffron and spices, topped with crushed almonds.
Noon Chai (Pink Tea)
Salty pink tea from Kashmir; baking soda and long boiling turn it rosy.
Sulaimani
Black lemon tea drunk after rich Malabar biryani to aid digestion.
Irani Chai
Slow-brewed tea with thick, creamy milk, served in Irani cafés with Osmania biscuits.
Nimbu Pani / Shikanji
India's summer lemonade, sweet, salty and tangy, with kala namak and bhuna jeera. 'Banta' is the fizzy street version in a marble-stoppered bottle.
Jaljeera
A tangy, spicy digestive cooler made from roasted cumin and mint.
Aam Panna
Sweet-sour drink of boiled raw green mangoes, traditionally drunk to beat the heat (loo).
Lassi
Churned yoghurt drink: sweet (meethi), salted (namkeen) or mango. Punjabi lassi is thick and topped with malai.
Chaas (Buttermilk)
Light, salted spiced buttermilk drunk with or after meals. Called mattha in the north, majjige in Karnataka, moru in Kerala.
Sattu Sharbat
Bihar's protein-rich summer drink made from roasted chana flour, drunk salty with onion and chilli or sweet with jaggery.
Thandai
Rich, cooling spiced milk drink made especially for Holi.
Rose Sharbat
Sweet rose-and-herb syrup drink, especially popular during Ramadan iftar.
Bel Sharbat
Cooling drink made from the pulp of bael (wood apple), traditionally good for the stomach in summer.
Kokum Sharbat
Bright pink-purple cooler from the sour kokum fruit of the Konkan coast.
Sol Kadhi
Pink coconut-milk and kokum drink served after Malvani seafood meals.
Sugarcane Juice (Ganne ka Ras)
Fresh juice pressed at street carts with ginger and lime; called ganne ka ras or ookh ka ras.
Coconut Water
Naturally sweet, rich in potassium; drunk straight from the coconut.
Falooda
Layered dessert-drink with sabja seeds, vermicelli and kulfi or ice cream.
Kala Khatta
Sweet-sour-salty purple syrup, poured over shaved ice as gola or mixed with soda.
Masala Soda / Goli Soda
Fizzing street drink: lemon and spices in soda, often in the old marble-stoppered goli bottle.
Cucumber Mint Cooler
Blended cucumber and mint, strained, with lime and soda.
Mango Mojito (Virgin)
Muddle mint and lime with 60 ml mango pulp, add ice and top with soda.
Sparkling Fruit Punch
Party punch: equal juices with a splash of grenadine and soda, plus chopped fruit.
Feni Tonic / Urrak Lime
Goa's local way to drink its heritage spirit: 60 ml feni or urrak with lime, salt, a slit green chilli and lemon soda.
Aam Panna Margarita
An Indian bar favourite: 45 ml tequila, 60 ml aam panna, 10 ml lime, chaat-masala salt rim.
Spirits & Liqueurs दारू · स्पिरिट्स 9
Indian Single Malt Whisky
India's hot climate makes whisky mature much faster than in Scotland, so young Indian malts taste rich and rounded. Indian single malts now win international awards.
Indian Whisky (Molasses-based)
Most whisky sold in India is distilled from molasses and blended with a little malt whisky. In Europe it would legally be called a spirit drink rather than whisky.
Indian Brandy
Brandy is the best-selling spirit category in South India. Most is molasses-based with added grape spirit and flavouring.
Indian Dark Rum
India is one of the world's largest rum markets. Indian dark rums are sweet, vanilla-led and often aged several years; rum with hot water is a classic hill-station winter drink.
Indian Craft Gin
A fast-growing category, many made in Goa, using botanicals like Darjeeling tea, Goan cashew, tulsi, kokum and mango.
Feni
Goa's heritage spirit with a GI tag. Cashew feni is distilled from the fermented juice of the cashew apple and has a strong, fruity, funky aroma. Urrak is its lighter first distillate.
Mahua
A traditional Adivasi spirit distilled from the sweet flowers of the mahua tree, with deep cultural roots in central India. Now also made legally as a heritage spirit.
Tharra / Country Liquor
Cheap, government-licensed 'desi daru' sold in rural India. Illicit hooch (unlicensed) can contain methanol and is dangerous; only buy licensed liquor.
Arak / Arrak (Indian Toddy Arrack)
Spirit distilled from palm toddy, once common across South India.