Kamal Ghorui
India’s food is way too big and different to fit into just one box called “Indian cuisine.”
Think about this: in some places in Bengal, people even put potatoes in biryani! You might see it packed in foil at rallies, a little squished but still tasty. At the same time, people argue a lot about food—like politicians arguing over fish dishes—each saying their version is the best.
The coolest part? Food in India changes super fast as you travel. Go just 100 km, and suddenly everything is different—language, spices, cooking style, even what people eat every day. It can feel like entering a whole new world.
Take biryani. You might think it’s just one dish—but there are at least 25–30 types! Southern India has many more versions than the North. Or think about dal (lentils). There are more than
50 types, and each can be cooked in lots of different ways.
Why is there so much variety? Because India has many cultures, religions, and regions. Different communities add their own twists. Food has also been influenced by people from other places—like Parsis, Portuguese, Dutch, and even the British. And “Indian Chinese” food? That’s a whole new thing we’ve made our own.
Here’s something fun:
● In Lucknow, cooks might use amchur (dried mango powder).
● In Kochi, they might use kokum instead.
● In the North, people love ghee (clarified butter).
● In the South, coconut milk is a star ingredient.
Even ingredients people love in one region might barely be used in another!
India has deserts, mountains, beaches, and forests—and each place has its own style of cooking. That’s why the food is so different everywhere. There are even about 400 types of red
chillies alone!
So food in India is like a giant, colorful mix of flavors—sweet, spicy, sour, and everything in between. It’s like a year-long food festival.
Here’s the big idea:
You can try a new Indian dish every single day for a year and still not taste everything.
That’s why saying “Indian cuisine” doesn’t really make sense. There isn’t just one—it’s actually hundreds of cuisines, all living inside one country.
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