Regional Cuisine Of India: North Indian Flavors

Regional Cuisine Of India: North Indian Flavors
Kirsten Hawkins

India, one of the most populated nations in the world, has rich
and varied culinary traditions, many deeply enmeshed with
spiritual traditions that are thousands of years old. Other
culinary styles arrived throughout India�s long history with
those who wandered into the land from afar and settled here and
there, as well as with those who invaded its territories,
overtaking native populations. Still others have been shaped by
the natural forces climate and geography. These many culinary
styles can be generally divided into four regional cuisines,
with North Indian flavors and style standing out distinctly
from the rest.

The northern part of India, it is said, is part of India in
which the influence of the early light-skinned Aryan invaders
can still be seen, in the cuisine, culture, and language. This
is the part of the world in which Sanskrit is thought to have
evolved. North Indian cuisine encompasses the culinary
traditions of the various northern countries, including
Punjabi, Kashmiri, Awadh, Rajasthani, Marwari, Gharwal, and
Pahari. Due to climate and growing conditions, wheat plays a
stronger role in North Indian cuisine than in other areas of
the country. Tandoori cuisine comes from the north.

Spices are an essential element to Indian cuisine, and they use
some of the most aromatic and beautiful spices on earth.
Historically, however, in addition to serving to add delectable
flavors and attractive aromas, the spices were chosen for their
food preservation and medicinal properties. While many spices
are common throughout most Indian cuisines, the methods and
ratios of usage differ in each region, with some spices being
much more common in some areas and other flavors being more
specific to certain areas. North Indian cooks tend to use their
spices in freshly ground powder form.

Chili peppers are common to Indian cuisine, and in the north,
the Degchi Mirchi, or Kashmiri chili pepper are especially
popular. Ground red chili powder is important North Indian
flavor, as is turmeric, cumin, coriander, sweet bay or laurel
leaves, black and green cardamom, cassia tree bark, for which
cinnamon is often substituted, cloves, nutmeg, saffron, black
and yellow mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek, asafetida, curry
leaves, tamarind, and fresh cilantro leaves and mint leaves.

Garam masala is a spice mixture used extensively in North
Indian cuisine. This is a blend of spices, which is loosely
built upon a set of common spices, but varies widely from
region to region, even from family to family. In the north, a
basic garam masala would consist of raw cardamom seeds,
cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Ghee, or clarified butter,
is particularly important to the flavor of northern cuisine.

Flat breads of various types, including roti, puri, chapattis,
different types parantha, and tandoori baked breads, such as
nan, are a part of most north Indian meals. Showing the
religious influence of the Vaishnava Hindus, the northern
states, Uttar Pradesh in particular, have created some of the
finest vegetarian cuisine in the world, built upon a wide
variety of pulses, or legumes and fragrant Basmati rice.

North Indian flavors have become an important part of
international cuisine, spreading throughout the world�s
metropolitan centers and into the food cultures of many
countries. Beloved especially for its specialized tandoori
dishes and vegetarian creations, North Indian cuisine continues
to expand and flourish globally.


About The Author: Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition
expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food.
Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information
on cooking delicious and healthy meals.