Food, when we hear this word, there are a lot of things that go around in our head! While it is a regular, essential part of our daily life. There is so much more to it. The love for food is unending especially if you’re fond of a rich and flavorful blend of right spices.
Indian food is surely one of the best and most flavourful around the world. Being rich in its culture, traditions and heritage, the Indian cuisine is proudly and widely known for the amazing dishes which serves taste and health both. India is a diverse land and so is it’s food.
Indian cuisines with diverse flavours – heaven for food lovers!
Owing to such a rich and diverse country, Indian cuisine is something that any foodie around the world surely can’t resist! The variety of food you’ll get right from Kashmir at the top to Kanyakumari at the bottom and everything else in the middle is extensive and totally mouth-watering journey.
So, here are some of the best and lesser-known Indian cuisines which you must try at least once in your life if you have that unending love for food! These unique, thoughtful, healthy and sumptuous cuisines from the various parts of India will surely make you dive into an enriching experience!
1. The Spicy, sour and hot Konkani Food
The Konkan regions of Goa and Maharashtra are famous for their scenic beauty and lip-smacking cuisines alike. The key characteristics of Konkani cuisine are the flavorful use of “Tirphal” (green Sichuan Pepper), kokum, coconut, many unique spicy condiments.
The unique fish recipes are most popular in the Konkan region. Fish dishes like “Tepla Ambat” is worth trying if you love to indulge in tasty fish dishes. There’s no other one to beat this one! The “Kolmbo sambar” along with “Kadamb” which is an idli-like dish made with cucumber is also worth savouring!
2. The Authentic Odia Food
Odisha is a beautiful Indian city on the Bay of Bengal. The Odia cuisine is splendid blend culinary skills of Odia cooks and traditional spices of the region. An electrifying mix of rice and spice is what the authentic Odia cuisine is incomplete without a mouthwatering platter of “Basi Pakhala”.
This authentic dish is cooked with the fermented rice by soaking it overnight in water. The classic pair that goes with “Basi Pakhala” is “Badi Chuda” – fried Vadi or simply dried lentil pellets which are delightfully mixed with garlic and red chillies!
The most popular and must-try Odia dishes include “Dahi baingan and Khattas” (tangy curry with eggplant cooked in curd) and “Dalma” which are lentils cooked flavourful with an assortment of fresh vegetables, chillies and spices. Mustard seeds are sprinkled upon this authentic dish to add more flavour and spice!
3. The delightful Kashmiri Food
Every Indian is surely a die-heart fan of the authentic Kashmiri food. Kashmir is one of India’s richest country in terms of its traditions and culture. The Kashmiri Pandits, a traditional Kashmiri community is known for their legendary culinary skills and rich taste.
One of the most popular Kashmiri dishes which comes to everyone’s mind is “Wazwan”. Wazwan, one of the best and intrinsic parts of the Kashmiri cuisine is a multi-course meal which is prepared with superior precision and culinary skills so much so that it is considered an art and also a matter of pride in Kashmiri culture. In a traditional Wazwaan, almost all the dishes are meat-based with few vegetarian ones.
On the other hand, the traditional dishes of Kashmiri Pandits are worth savouring for vegetarians. The vegetarian dishes of Kashmiri Pandits like “Dum Aaloo” and “Gogje Rajma” are worth trying.
4. The sumptuous and healthy Parsi cuisine
Coming next in the list is the Parsi cuisine. Parsis are known for their sophistication and rich taste and so is represented in their food. This community bought in India some rich blend of mouth-watering dishes back in the 19th century. Parsi cuisine is all about the right blend of sweet and sour.
Some of the popular Parsi dishes include are “dhansak”, which is mutton or any other meat cooked in a spiced and tangy mixture of “Toor dal”, lentils and vegetables, “Emli-Goor-no Kuchumbar” which is tamarind paste (totally a lip-smacker!)
Parsis are known for the perfect blend of Indian and Pakistani cooking. Their culture is so much represented in their food, just like any other authentic cuisine. So, if you haven’t tried this absolute delightful cuisine yet, we strongly insist you do!
5. The savoury and healthy Telangana cuisine
The Telangana region lies on the Deccan Plateau. The food from this region is rich in tangy flavours, spices and the right blend of nutritious flour. The Millet-based bread is the most common staple here. Sarva Pindi which is kind of pancake made completely out of ground lentils, rice flour and peanuts.
The spicy “Kooda” which is a well-cooked Curry with herbs and spices, “Pappu Charu” which is a variant of “Rasam” and the “Pulusus” which is a tangy tamarind-based add-on make a perfect meal with millet-based bread.