Indian Cuisine

What influences cuisine?

• Climate

•Ingredients available

• Wealth

• Water

• Livestock

•Religious / Cultural customs

Rajasthan – Thar Desert

Extremely hot and dry area Food had to be curried to preserve it High use of dairy products – water is scarce Few vegetable ingredients

Goa Formerly a Portuguese colony Most famous for the Vindaloo This is actually a Portuguese meal called vinho

de alho Goan food also has lots of coconut milk and

seafood

Mumbai/ Marathi cuisine

Lots of vegetables Rich in spices Lots of peanuts and cashew nuts Fertile farming region so the food is far more elaborate Lots of contact with Europe so a real fusion of food.

Kashmir / Punjab - North

These are the types of Indian food most commonly cooked in UK restaurants

Flat breads such as Naan Tandoori cooking – the tandoor is a large, circular oven Samosas and pakoras Korma, Pasanda, Rogan Josh

Southern coast

Very spicy food Lots of coconuts used Seafood – Indian Ocean is plentiful Traditionally Banana leaves are used as

plates

Eastern India / Kolkatta

Very little meat – animals are scarce, farmers farmed crops not livestock.

Food is dominated by fish and rice. Lots of mangoes grown here.

British influences

During colonial times Indian food was toned down to make it more acceptable to the British.

Migration to the UK from India saw the growth of Indian food in the UK

Chicken Tikka is often described as our most popular food

The Balti is beieved to have been developed in Birmingham following the migration from the Mirpur region of Pakistan. The balti is the metal dish that the curry is cooked and served in.

The hottest dish – the phall – is believed to have been created for the British colonists