Flavours of the subcontinent...

So let’s start from the beginning. First stop on our journey is South Asia with its diverse, rich and fragrant dishes. So before we start cooking let’s find out something about the cuisine that conquers the hearts all over the world. I’ll try my best to retrieve all the information Tom introduced in His presentation and summarize it J

South Asian cuisine also known as Desi cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. It’s as diverse as Desi culture and has been strongly influenced by food from neighbouring regions and cultures, particularly from Muslim cultures of the Middle East and Central Asia, such as Persia, the Turkic and Arab countries and also European Colonialists like British or Portuguese. 

Most known and remarkable families of South Asian cookery are: Indian (North Indian, South Indian, etc.), Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, Buthanese cuisines

They vary from region to region, offering a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. I think the most important reason for this diversity is religion. On Indian subcontinent many religions mixed and existed together for ages influencing the cuisine. Majority of India is Hindu, followed by Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Jain.

HINDU

Major paths of Hinduism hold vegetarianism as an ideal, therefore most of Hindus are vegetarians. They used a wide range of legumes for proteins. They perfectly cooked countless vegetable recipes and 95% of Hindus consumes dairy products Brahmins of East India, Pundits in Kashmir and untouchables are allowed to eat some meat (usually slaughter as Jhatka) and fish. Hindus do not eat Beef. They respect the cow as a matriarchal figure for her gentle qualities and providing nurturing milk and its products for a largely vegetarian diet. The animal is often considered as sacred. In India, sale of beef is illegal except for the state of Goa.

MUSLIM

As the second largest religion in India Muslim tradition is most evident in the cooking of meats. Muslims do not eat Pork and are not allowed to consume alcohol. The meat must be ritually slaughtered as Halal for Muslims. Beef is also avoided to respect the traditions of both cultures. The Muslim culture added exotic Mughlai cuisine to Indian culinary culture. Rice pulaos of India with the mixture of meat became biryani and meat roasts like lamb kebabs were flavoured with Indian herbs, spices and seasonings. Due to this influence, Indian dishes became garnished with almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins.

Muslims also introduced leavened breads and tandoor style of cooking. Meats were now marinated in yogurt and spices and also cooked in tandoors. Apart from the idea of concluding a meal with sweetmeats, the Muslim culture also introduced the idea of community dinning and lavish and extravagant banquets in India along with serving dishes in jade, silver and Chinese porcelain.

Just by looking at the menu of surrounding street kitchens you can easily recognise when you enter Muslim area.

JAIN

Jains are lacto vegetarians who do not eat Food which contains even small particles of the bodies of dead animals or eggs.  The Jain diet has grains like wheat, rice, lentils or pulses and beans, oil-seeds as they fall under the category of non-injurious food.  Fruits and vegetables which become ripe on the plants or trees are used for food. root vegetables, figs, honey and alcohol are rather unacceptable. Some Jains support veganism and even avoid dairy products.

SIKH

Most of Sikhs are vegetarians but they are not bound to be meat free. However only vegetarian food is served in the Gurdwaras (Sikh temples). The meat must be slaughtered as Jhatka for Sikhs and they are prohibited from eating other ritually-slaughtered food (Halal, Kosher, etc.)

Sikh devotees prepare food at Gurdwara

CHRISTIAN

Christians are non-vegetarians. They have no preference how the animal is slaughtered. Christians incorporated grilled pork chops after they were marinated in spices and chillies. Soups and salads were introduced. Whisky was brought to India and spicy tea came into existence. Many new recipes and dishes were influenced by Christians such as cutlets, croquettes, sausages, cakes, puddings, jams, and biscuits.

It’s often categorised within geographical regions because of certain type of ingredients available and also nutrition and diet fitted to lifestyle of residents of particular region. I will try to cover these differences in my next post.