The Best Ever Indian [antikvár]

introduction Indian cuisine is among the most diverse and versatile in the world, employing a wide range of cooking techniques and a vast array of ingredients and flavours. This is hardly surprising given the sheer size of the country and its long and eventful history The story of Indian food is, indeed, one of geography and history, but it is also profoundly influenced by religion, and these three elements are closely intenA/oven with one another ^ ach region of India has its own specialities " and characteristic dishes. For example, ¦¦ Mumbai, formerly Bombay, is famous for its pork curries, while Bengali cuisine features fish and Madras is well known for its superb vegetarian food. Nevertheless, in broad culinary terms the country can be divided into the north and south. The dishes of the north bear witness to a succession of invasions throughout the centuries, whereas foreign influences are less pronounced in the south. The Moghuls left a heritage of finely prepared, creamy and rich-tasting dishes, while India is indebted to the Persians for púlaos and many other rice dishes, and to the Portuguese for the introduction of vinegar, the defining ingredient of vindaloo curries. Portuguese and Spanish explorers were also responsible for introducing the chilli to Asia from its native South America, although nowadays it is difficult to imagine Indian food without this almost ubiquitous spice. India is now one of the world's largest producers of chillies. Only the Bntlsh, it seems, had little effect on the country's cooking. However, so enamoured were they of Indian seasonings and chutneys that they did much to spread the word of this distinctive and delicious cuisine. The cooking style of the north evolved in the palaces and mansions of princes and nobles, whereas that of the south has more humble origins. An abundance of fruit and vegetables grows m the south and, together with lentils and rice, feature in the staple dishes of the region. The north is a wheat-growing area and a wide variety of different breads are produced. The main religion in southern India Is Hinduism and so the majority of the population is vegetarian. There are, of course, many Hindus in the north too, but observance of a vegetarian diet is often less strict. Meat, mainly lamb and chicken, does feature in lots of traditional dishes, although no Hindu would ever eat beef, as the cow is ^garded as a sacred animal. In coastal areas, even in the south, many Hindus eat fish, not classifying it as meat. Muslim communities, on the other hand, eat all kinds of meat, apart from pork or other products derived from pigs, which are thought to be unclean. Other groups who practise other religions are scattered throughout the country, whether Christians in the former Portuguese colony of Goa, Middle Eastern Jews or Parsees in the west, all of whom have their own dietary regulations and traditional foods. There is also an east-west culinary divide, althou^the difference is less pronounced than that between north and south. Both regions have plentiful supplies of fish and seafood, but lamb and chicken also feature in the west, perhaps as a result of greater foreign influences. Probably the defining characteristic of eastern Indian cuisine is the widespread use of mustard oil. cooking techniques and equipment One of the great things about Indian cooking of all kinds is that it rarely requires much last-minute attention. It also needs little, if anything, in the way of special equipment. Most Western kitchens will already include virtually Indian