indian food culture essay

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Introduction

Elements of Indian cuisine

Indian cuisine in the historical record, cuisines across india, indian cuisine around the world.

Indian cuisine

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Indian cuisine , the foods and methods of their preparation traditional to India . India does not have a single cuisine . Due to its wide variety of climates, soil types, cultures , and religions, as well as influences from other countries, India has a diverse range of cuisines. As a whole, Indian cuisine can be dated to the prehistoric period and can be found across the world wherever there is a significant Indian diaspora . Indian cuisine has also played a key role in global history, Indian spices being a goal of the European Age of Discovery .

India’s geographical diversity is central to understanding the diversity of its cuisines. To the north lie the Himalayas with a high-altitude alpine climate. Melting snows from the Himalayas along with seasonal rains feed the Indian river systems that run through most of northern and central India, sustaining large fertile alluvial plains. Wheat is extensively grown there. The upper Ganga valley and the Punjab region are well irrigated and allow the growth of sugarcane . There is scant vegetation in India’s northwest region, where the Thar Desert stretches across Rajasthan . Most of the southern part of India is dry and rocky and is separated from the northern portion by the Vindhya mountains and the Narmada River . This region, along with Rajasthan’s desert, supports crops that require less water, such as millets and corn (maize). Three major rivers in South India—the Godavari , Krishna , and Cauvery —also sustain fertile plains. The western coast of India, between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats range, receives heavy rainfall. Northeastern India is hilly and also receives heavy rainfall. Both these regions thus support the cultivation of rice , which requires a large amount of water. India is heavily influenced by the southwest monsoon , which provides more than 75 percent of the country’s annual rainfall during the period from May to September. The timing of the monsoon and the amount of rain it generates are critical for the success of India’s crops.

Pulses (edible seeds from plants of the legume family ) are also a key portion of the Indian diet. Dal, a Hindi word that refers to both raw and cooked lentils , may be the closest thing India has to a national dish. Pulses are hardy, grow in most soils, and include gram lentils, chickpeas , peas , and beans . Pulses complement grains, which are the main component of an Indian diet, though there is variation across regions based on climate and topography . Rice and wheat are the most commonly consumed grains, with barley and a variety of millets also being consumed. Evidence of wheat is seen in sites dating to 6500 bce , and wheat likely came to India from Central Asia . It is typically made into a flour called atta and is used to make Indian breads such as roti and parathas. Barley was more common in India during the second millennium bce and is mentioned in the ancient Rigveda text. Today barley is not very frequently consumed, but it plays a key role in several Hindu religious ceremonies. Rice is the staple food in western and southern India and has been found in sites dating back more than eight millennia.

Many varieties of fruits and vegetables are indigenous to India, such as a range of gourds , eggplant (brinjal), Indian gooseberry (called amla in Hindi), jackfruit , and mango . While the origin of okra (called bhindi in Hindi), coconuts , and plantains has not been traced with certainty, they have been used in cuisine in India for several thousand years. Though native to southwestern Asia and likely known since prehistoric times, onion is not mentioned in early Indian texts; it, along with garlic , has typically been taboo to orthodox Hindus and Jains. Sugar has been a key component in the Indian diet, and the process of refining sugarcane juice into crystals was discovered by Indians in the third century bce . Portuguese traders of the 16th century introduced a range of New World produce, including potatoes , tomatoes , papayas , guavas , cashews , and chillies ( chili peppers ), all of which thrived in the Indian tropical climate.

Spices and herbs are a predominant feature of Indian cooking. Ginger , turmeric , tamarind , black pepper , cardamom , and sesame seed are indigenous to India. Cumin , fenugreek , saffron , and coriander , as well as asafoetida (hing)—which is widely used as a substitute for garlic by Hindus and Jains—arrived from West Asia and the Mediterranean region. Spices have been noted for their antibiotic properties and are mentioned in many Indian treatises that describe the medical benefits of including them in cuisine. Contrary to popular belief, Indian food is not always “hot” in the sense of being eye-wateringly spicy. Spices are added to food across the country in whole, powdered, or ground form to enhance the taste of the food, and they don’t always add “heat” to the food. Spices are often roasted to bring out their flavour, and they are frequently combined to make a garam masala (literally, in Hindi and Urdu, “hot spices”). Each region of India has its own variant of garam masala. Access to Indian spices and expansion of the spice trade was a key driver behind European exploration of the world during the 15th and 16th centuries, and Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus both undertook voyages to find sea routes to India so as to take spices back to Europe .

The people of early Vedic civilizations in India were nomadic pastoralists who practiced elaborate rituals to placate their gods . Agni , the god of fire, was considered the mouth through which the gods ate their sacrifices, and one of his favourite foods was ghee (clarified butter), which remains popular to this day. Animal sacrifices were common, and the meat was then consumed by those participating in the ritual. While some textual evidence suggests that these sacrifices included cattle, some argue that this claim is a result of mistranslation. (The subject of eating beef is politically contentious in present-day India.) Barley was common during the period, and there is no mention of wheat. Milk and its products, such as yogurt and barley-based milk porridges , are documented.

Rapid development of agriculture in the first millennium bce brought urbanization to northern India. The word ahimsa (“nonviolence,” or “noninjury,” in Sanskrit) is first seen in the sacred texts called the Upanishads. The rise of Buddhism and Jainism , which preach compassion to all living things, encouraged vegetarianism . Jainism decrees that foods that inflame the passions, including onion and garlic, must be avoided, and foods that grow underground should also be shunned because eating them involves killing microorganisms. The Sanskrit grammarian Panini, in his work Ashtadhyayi (6th–5th century bce ), describes three categories of food: meat, lentil-based soup , and vegetables. Chanakya ’s Arthasastra , a manual on how to run a kingdom that may date in part to the 4th century bce , elaborately describes how certain foods are to be prepared, most of them with spices. Ayurveda , a traditional system of Indian medicine, describes foods as sattvic (pure or balanced), rajasic (active or increasing the energy of the body), and tamasic (heavy or reducing the energy of the body).

In the first millennium ce , the caste system became widespread in India, and many guidelines about how to eat food evolved based on a person’s caste. Lists of forbidden foods from this period include onion, garlic, mushrooms , meat not obtained by hunting, and alcohol. Sharing foods with people from other castes was considered taboo.

The Islamic conquest of India introduced fruits such as apricots , melons , and plums , as well as a rich gravy style of cooking. Kebabs cooked over coals and pilaf became popular during this period and are still classified as Mughlai cuisine in present-day India. The biryani , a celebratory meal made using meat, rice, yogurt, onion, and spices, originated in Persia but evolved in India during this era. Biryani now has multiple variants across the country, with the most popular ones credited to the Mughals and the nizams of Hyderabad . The arrival of New World vegetables by way of the Portuguese in the 16th century resulted in yet more changes to the cuisines of India. In the state of Goa , which was under Portuguese rule for 450 years, the Portuguese influence on cooking is still especially visible.

The cuisine of northern India shows a stronger influence of the Islamic conquest. Dairy products such as milk, ghee, and paneer ( cottage cheese ) are commonly used, and many vegetables are cooked in yogurt or onion-and-tomato–based gravies. A griddle is used to make flatbread such as roti, while a tandoor (a cylindrical coal-fired oven) is used to cook flatbreads such as naan and kulcha. Puri and similar breads are deep-fried in oil , usually groundnut oil. Flatbread is typically eaten with cooked lentils (dal) and vegetables. The nonvegetarian cuisine of kebabs and pilaf is very similar to what is found in Pakistan . A popular snack is the samosa , which is cooked potato stuffed in flour and then deep-fried in oil. Street foods such as kachori and chaat are very popular, as well as sweets (called mithai) such as gulab jamun, petha , and rasmalai. Food of this region is typically richly spiced. Variations exist within northern India, from the desert regions of Rajasthan, which see heavy use of gram flour in dishes, to the vales of Kashmir , where ingredients such as mutton and dry fruits are used in dishes typically served in a wazwan, or multicourse meal.

To the east, in West Bengal and Odisha , the amount of spice used in cooking decreases, and mustard oil is more common. The cuisine of northeastern India is rice-based—rice is grown on terraced fields in the region’s hilly terrain—and freshwater fish appears in many dishes, as does pork, beef, mutton, and chicken. Poppy seeds are also frequently used. This region’s cuisine is very similar to that of neighbouring Bangladesh .

In southern India rice is the staple food, and it is eaten with sambhar (sambar), a watery stew comprising lentil , tamarind, and vegetables. Many fruits and vegetables are pickled and consumed with meals, and coconut oil and gingelly (sesame) oils are used as the mediums for cooking. Seafood is common along the coast. Within southern India there are diverse cuisines—Andhra, Tamil, Chettinad, Kerala , and Mangalore, among others. Each region cooks sambhar differently and uses different varieties of rice. Tamil cuisine classifies food into six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent—and aspires to include each taste in every main meal. Tamil meals are also typically served on banana leaves.

The west coast of India has distinct cuisines as well. In Goa rice and fish are the staples. Goan Hindu cuisine is less spicy and includes many vegetables, though little onion and garlic. Portuguese cuisine in Goa includes beef and uses a vinegar-based gravy ( vindaloo) for many dishes. In coastal Maharashtra fish and rice are also common, while millets and groundnuts are used in inland areas instead of rice and coconut. Further north, Gujarat is predominantly vegetarian, and most dishes have some sweetness due to the use of sugar . Roti, dal, and vegetables are common there.

Food is typically eaten by hand across India, with minimal use of cutlery. When eating roti, a person tears off a portion of the flatbread and uses it to scoop the dal or vegetable .

India’s cuisines are available around the world, particularly where there is a significant diaspora . Indian labourers migrated to the Caribbean, Southeast Asia , and Fiji as indentured workers, taking their food with them. Rice, flatbread, and curries are very common in Trinidad and Tobago , with a variety of roti-based dishes popular as street food. Pholourie, a snack made from chickpeas, is popular in Guyana. Patties (turnovers filled with meat) in Guyana, vindaye in Mauritius, and “tinned fish” curry in Fiji all come from Indian roots.

Indian influences are also present in South Africa , most notably in bunny chow, a meat curry served in a hollowed-out loaf of Western-style bread . Tamil influences are strong in Malaysia and Singapore , where roti canai, an Indian-influenced bread, is popularly served with meat curries. Indian dishes have long been popular in the U.K.: the Norris Street Coffee House in London advertised a curry in 1773, and today chicken tikka masala is one of Britain’s most popular dishes. Indian restaurants proliferate in North America as well. Most of these restaurants serve multiple cuisines from across India.

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Exploring indian culture through food.

Food and Identity

Food (Sanskrit— bhojana,“that which is to be enjoyed,” Hindi— khana, Tamil— shapad) presents a way to understand everyday Indian culture as well as the complexities of identity and interaction with other parts of the world that are both veiled and visible. In India today,with a growing economy due to liberalization and more consumption than ever in middle class life, food as something to be enjoyed and as part of Indian culture is a popular topic. From a 1960s food economy verging on famine, India is now a society where food appears plentiful, and the aesthetic possibilities are staggering. Cooking shows that demonstrate culinary skills on television, often with celebrity chefs or unknown local housewives who may have won a competition, dominate daytime ratings. Local indigenous specialties and ways of cooking are the subjects of domestic and international tourism brochures. Metropolitan restaurants featuring international cuisines are filled with customers. Packaged Indian and foreign foods sell briskly in supermarkets, and indigenous street food and hole-in-the wall cafés have never been as popular. Yet lifestyle magazines tout healthy food, nutritious diets, locally sourced ingredients, and sustainable and green alternatives. India’s understanding of its own cultures and its complex historical and contemporary relations with foreign cultures are deeply evident in public conceptualizations of food as well as in culinary and gastronomic choices and lifestyles.

As Harvard anthropologist Theodore Bestor reminds us, the culinary imagination is a way a culture conceptualizes and imagines food. Generally, there is no “Indian” food but rather an enormous number of local, regional, caste-based ingredients and methods of preparation. These varieties of foods and their preparation have only been classified as “regional” and “local” cuisines since Indian independence in 1947 yet have enjoyed domestic and foreign patronage throughout most of India’s history. Because of this diversity and its celebration, most Indians appreciate a wide array of flavors and textures and are traditionally discerning consumers who eat seasonally, locally, and, to a large extent, sustainably. However, despite some resistance in recent years, the entry of multinational food corporations and their mimicking by Indian food giants, the industrialization of agriculture, the ubiquity of standardized food crops, and the standardization of food and tastes in urban areas have stimulated a flattening of the food terrain.

Food in India is an identity marker of caste, class, family, kinship, tribe affiliation, lineage, religiosity, ethnicity, and increasingly, of secular group identification.

In the recurring identity crises that globalization seems to encourage, one would expect that food would play a significant part in dialogues about nationalism and Indian identities. But food in India has been virtually absent from the academic discourse because of the diversity and spread of the gastronomic landscape. Things are different on the Internet. In response to the forces of globalization and Indian food blogs both teaching cookery and commenting on food, are mushrooming in cyberspace.

India has several thousand castes and tribes, sixteen official languages and several hundred dialects, six major world religions, and many ethnic and linguistic groups. Food in India is an identity marker of caste, class, family, kin- ship, tribe affiliation, lineage, religiosity, ethnicity, and increasingly, of secular group identification. How one eats, what one eats, with whom, when, and why, is key to understanding the Indian social landscape as well as the relationships, emotions, statuses, and transactions of people within it.

The aesthetic ways of knowing food—of being a gourmand and deriving pleasure from it—as well as ascetic responses to it—are lauded in ancient scriptural texts such as the Kamasutra and the Dharmaśāstras . But historically in India, food consumption has also paradoxically been governed by under- standings that lean toward asceticism and self-control as well. Traditional Ayurvedic (Hindu) and Unani (Muslim) medical systems have a tripartite categorization of the body on its reaction to foods. In Ayurveda, the body is classified as kapha (cold and phlegmy), vaata (mobile and flatulent), or pitta (hot and liverish), and food consumption is thus linked not only to overall feelings of well being and balance but to personality disorders and traits as well. Eating prescribed foods ( sattvic foods that cool the senses versus rajasic foods that inflame the passions) and doing yoga and breathing exercises to balance the body, spirit, and mind are seen as very basic self-care and self-fashioning.

This appreciation and negation of gastronomic pleasure is made more complex by caste- and religion-based purity as well as pollution taboos. With some exceptions, since the early twelfth century, upper-caste Hindus, Jains, and some regional groups are largely vegetarian and espouse ahimsa (nonviolence). Often upper castes will not eat onions, garlic, or processed food, believing them to violate principles of purity. Some lower-caste Hindus are meat eaters, but beef is forbidden as the cow is deemed sacred, and this purity barrier encompasses the entire caste and religious system.

As the eminent pioneering anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss noted, there is a sharp distinction between cooked and uncooked foods, with cooked or processed food capable of being contaminated with pollution easier than uncooked food. For upper-caste Hindus, raw rice is deemed pure even if served by a lower-caste person, but cooked rice can carry pollution when coming in contact with anything polluting, including low-caste servers. Religion also plays a part in dietetic rules; Muslims in India may eat beef, mutton, and poultry but not pork or shellfish; Christians may eat all meats and poultry; and Parsis eat more poultry and lamb than other meats. However, as many scholars have noted, because of the dominance of Hinduism in India and the striving of many lower-caste people for social mobility through imitation of higher-caste propensities, vegetarianism has evolved as the default diet in the subcontinent. Most meals would be considered complete without meat protein.

History and the Culinary Imagination

India sought to define itself gastronomically in the face of colonization beginning in the twelfth century. First, Central Asian invaders formed several dynasties known as the Sultanates from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. Then, the great Mughal dynasty ruled from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The British came to trade as the East India Company, stayed as the Crown from the eighteenth century until 1847, and then had their heyday as the British Raj from 1857 to 1947. The Mughals brought new foods to the subcontinent from Central Asia, including dried fruits, pilafs, leavened wheat breads, stuffed meat, poultry, and fruits. The Mughals also brought new cooking processes such as baking bread and cooking meat on skewers in the tandoor (a clay oven), braising meats and poultry, tenderizing meats and game using yogurt protein, and making native cheese. They borrowed indigenous ingredients such as spices (cardamom, pepper, and clove) and vegetables (eggplant from India and carrots from Afghanistan) to cook their foods, creating a unique Mughlai haute courtly cuisine.

From princely kitchens, the cuisine has made its way over the centuries to restaurants in major cities. In Delhi, the capital of Mughal India, as food writer Chitrita Banerji informs us, the Moti Mahal Restaurant claims to have invented tandoori chicken. In neighborhood Punjabi and Mughlai restaurants in metropolitan centers, the menu usually consists of dishes of meat and poultry that are heavily marinated with spices, then grilled and braised in thick tomato or cream-based sauces and served with indigenous leavened breads such as naan and rice dishes with vegetables and meats such as pilafs and biryani . These foods, in popular, mass-customized versions, are the staples of the dhabhas (highway eateries) all over India.

The British and other Western powers—including most importantly Portugal—came to India in search of spices to preserve meats, but the age of empire dictated culinary exchanges. India received potatoes, tomatoes, and chilies from the New World, and all became an integral part of the cuisine. The British traded spices and provided the technology and plant material and even transported labor to produce sugar in the West Indies.1 Indian food historian Madhur Jaffrey states that as the British Raj set roots in the subcontinent, the English-trained Indian cooks (Hindi— khansama ) to make a fusion food of breads, mulligatawny soup (from the Tamil mulahathani —pepper water) mince pies and roasts, puddings, and trifles. These dishes were later adapted to the metropolitan Indian table for the officers of the Indian army and British-Indian club menus. “Military hotels”— restaurants where meat and poultry were served primarily to troop members and often run by Parsis or Muslims—became popular as the new concept of public dining gained popularity in urban India between 1860 and 1900. The oldest known cafe from this era is Leopold’s Cafe in south Bombay (now Mumbai), where military hotel culture first took root. Other “hotels” or eateries primarily served, as they still do, vegetarian domestic cuisine in a public setting. In Bangalore, neighborhood fast food eateries called Darshinis serve a quick menu of popular favorites such as idli (steamed rice dumplings), dosa (rice and lentil crepes), and puri (fried bread), while neighborhood restaurants called sagars —meaning “ocean” but denoting a type of restaurant that has many varieties drawn from a commercial restaurant chain called Sukh Sagar, or “ocean of pleasure”—serve a wide array of dishes from both north and south India, as well as Indian, Chinese, and “continental food.”

“Continental food” in contemporary India includes a combination of English breakfast dishes such as omelette and toast; bread, butter, jam; meat and potato “cutlets;” an eclectic combination of Western dishes such as pizza, pasta, and tomato soup with croutons; bastardized French cuisine of vegetable baked au gratin with cheese and cream sauces, liberally spiced to make them friendly to the Indian palate; caramel custard, trifle, fruit and jelly; and cream cakes for dessert. Western cuisine is no longer just British colonial cuisine with these additions but a mosaic of specific national cuisines where Italian, and more recently, Mexican foods dominate, as these cuisines easily absorb the spices needed to stimulate Indian palates. Indian-Chinese food, another ethnic variant, owes its popularity to a significant Chinese population in Calcutta, who Indianized Chinese food and, through a number of family-run restaurants, distributed it throughout India, so it is now considered “local.” Street vendors serve vernacular versions of spicy hakka noodles, spicy corn, and “gobi Manchurian,” a unique Indian-Chinese dish of fried spiced cauliflower.

Despite this diversity, there are regional differences. Some observers con- tend that the Punjab—the Western region of the Indo-Gangetic plain of north India—is the breadbasket of the country. The region grows vast quantities of wheat that is milled and made into leavened oven-baked breads such as naan; unleavened griddle-baked breads such a chapattis , phulkas , and rumali rotis ; and stuffed griddle-fried breads such as kulcha and paratha . These breads are often eaten with vegetable or meat dishes. In the south, by contrast, rice is the staple grain. It is dehusked, steamed, and often eaten with spice-based vegetables and sometimes meat-based gravy dishes. The one cooking process that seems to be common to the subcontinent is that of “tempering,” or flash-frying, spices to add flavor to cooked food.

Contemporary India celebrates cuisine from local areas and culinary processes. The history of India, combined with its size, population, and lack of adequate transportation, left it with a heritage of finely developed local delicacies and a connoisseur population trained in appreciation of difference, seasonality, methods of preparation, taste, regionality, climate, diversity, and history though largely in an unselfconscious manner until very recently. Though many regional delicacies are appreciated nationally, such as the methi masala (fenugreek chutney) of Gujarat or the fine, gauze-like, sweet suther pheni (a confection that resembles a bird’s nest) of Rajasthan, regional delicacies such as the Bengal River carp marinated in spicy ground mustard and cooked in strong- smelling mustard oil often seem exotic and sometimes strange to outsiders. Train travel in India is a culinary tasting journey with stations stocking local delicacies, making it incumbent on the traveler to “stock up” on legendary specialties. Domestic food tourism creates and sustains a vibrant culinary imagination and a gastronomic landscape, both within and outside India.

The Indian Meal

The Indian meal is a complex and little-understood phenomenon. “Typical” meals often include a main starch such as rice, sorghum, or wheat; vegetable or meat curries that are dry roasted or shallow wok fried; cured and dried vegetable dishes in sauces; and thick lentil soups, with different ingredients. Condiments might include masalas (a dry or wet powder of fine ground spices and herbs) plain yogurt, or a vegetable raita (yogurt dip, also called pachchadi in south India), salted pickles, fresh herbal and cooked chutneys, dried and fried wafers and salted papadums (fried lentil crisps), and occasionally dessert (called “sweetmeats”). Indian meals can have huge variations across the subcontinent, and any of these components in different orders and with different ingredients might constitute an Indian meal.

Rice is a powerful symbol of both hunger and want as well as fulfillment and fertility. Until the late nineteenth century, however, only the wealthy ate rice, and most Indians consumed millet and sorghum.

When a multi-dish meal is served on a large platter in north India, the serving utensil is usually made of silver for purity. A banana leaf might be the main platter for a south Indian festival. In either case, there are various small bowls for each dish. This kind of meal is called a thali and is named for the platter on which it is served. The meal is eaten first with a sweet, followed by all the dishes served simultaneously and mixed together with the rice, based on the eater’s discretion. The meal ends with yogurt, which is thought to cool the body, and then followed by sweets and/or fruit. Festival meals usually end with a digestive in the form of a paan (betel leaf and nut folded together), which again has regional variations of style and taste.

Rice is a powerful symbol of both hunger and want as well as fulfillment and fertility. Until the late nineteenth century, however, only the wealthy ate rice, and most Indians consumed millet and sorghum. Nevertheless, the powerful symbolism of rice as a sign of fertility for many castes makes it part of marriage rites. Welcoming a new bride to the family home includes having her kick over a measure of rice to indicate that she brings prosperity to the household. A traditional test of a worthy daughter-in-law is her ability to “wash” the rice properly and to gauge the right amount of water it draws while cooking. Rice is still a symbol of wealth, and those families who have access to “wetland” where rice paddies grow are still thought to be wealthy and well endowed. Long grain scented basmati rice is India’s most popular variety and is valued in foreign markets as well. Efforts of the Indian government to protect Indian basmati rice failed, and now two types of American basmati exist, a situation many Indians consider shameful.

Gastronomic Calendars, Rituals, and Seasonality

In India as elsewhere, food culture is shaped by climate, land, and access to natural resources. The food system emphasizes eating agricultural and natural produce “in season,” such as mangoes and local greens during the summer, pumpkins during the rainy monsoon months, and root vegetables during the winter months. This emphasis is based upon a belief that in-season foods are more potent, tastier, and of greater nutritional value, although the yearround availability of many foods due to technology are beginning to change eating habits.

Cooks who are native to India are aware of culinary cycles and of multiple-dish recipes using fruits and vegetables of the season, some deemed “favorites” within caste groups and families. For example, prior to the ripened mango harvest of May and June, tiny unripe mangoes are harvested and pick- led in brine. The ripe mango and the pickled mango are the same species but are clearly different culinary tropes with different characteristics that are some- times attributed with fortifying, healing, auspicious, and celebratory values, based on taste, color, and combination. Connoisseurs are aware of desirable foods in local areas and sometimes travel great distances to acquire the first or best product of the season. Seasonality and regionality are also part of wed- ding celebrations, funerary rites, and domestic feasts. The winter peasant menu of the Punjab sarson ka saag , a stew of spicy mustard greens believed to “heat” the body, and makki ki roti ( griddled corn flatbreads), are imported to haute tables in Delhi restaurants as “rustic” fare.

Religious festivals also align with culinary cycles, festivals, or sacred periods of the year that are often associated with offerings to the gods and feasting on certain foods. The south Indian Harvest festival of Pongal in February is accompanied by a feast of harvested rice cooked with lentils in three different dishes, shakkarai pongal (Tamil-sweet), ven pongal (Tamil-savory), and akkara vadashal (Tamil-milk), accompanied by a stew of nine different winter vegetables and beans, offered first to tutelary deities and then consumed as consecrated food. Temples, especially those dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu, have a long history of developed culinary traditions and food- offering aesthetics. The Krishna Temple in the south Indian temple town of Udupi is known throughout India for the distribution of free seasonal meals to thousands of devotees. Other temples are known for offerings of certain sweets or savories of that region or enormous and detailed menus of offerings from the land.

The Globalization of Indian Food

Although it has never had a standardized diet, India has traditionally “imagined” its cuisine with respect to the incorporation and domestication of “foreign” influences. In the past two decades, with India becoming an economic powerhouse, a variety of multinational fast food companies have entered the previously protected Indian culinary landscape. They include Pizza Hut, Mc- Donald’s, KFC, Pepsico, and, most recently, Taco Bell. These companies have had to “Indianize” and self-domesticate to conquer the notoriously difficult-to-please Indian palate.2 Today, urban fast food chains in India have become common and are transforming the middle class diet.

At the same time, local food purveyors have taken complex regional recipes and modified them for ease of industrial production, leading to a pack- aged food boom in India.3 The Indian food market of $182 billion is believed to be growing at a rapid clip of 13 percent.4 Indian precooked packaged foods empires such as MTR, SWAD, Haldirams, and Pataks have gone global, avail- able wherever Indians now live, leading a quiet yet unrecognized revolution in eating habits. Formerly, the focus was upon rural, natural, fresh, and prepared on-site food. Now, there is a shift in emphasis to industrialized, processed food. These developments are partially reengineering local and caste-based special- ties for mass production, distribution, and consumption, changing past notions of what is traditional or valued.

Some scholars have suggested that Indian food is filtered through Great Britain to the world, though diasporic Indian groups have also contributed. North American eateries serve curries and rice, tandoori chicken , naan , and chicken tikka masala (said to be invented in Glasgow), while the Japanese make karai and rice, demonstrating the attractiveness of “exotic” India’s cultural power and reach.

The cultures of contemporary Indian cuisine, including the politics, food processes, production, and consumption, are simultaneously changing and exhilarating. Further innovation and increased attention to Indian cuisine will almost certainly occur and promises to be an exciting area of innovation and critical research in the future.

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Achaya, K.T. Indian Food: A Historical Companion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1994.

Appadurai, Arjun. “Gastro-Politics in Hindu South Asia.” American Ethnologist8 no. 3, Symbolism and Cognition(1981): 494–551.

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Bagla, Pallava and Subhadra Menon. “The Story of Rice.” The India Magazine9 (February 1989): 60–70.

Banerji, Chitrita. Eating Indian: An Odyssey into the Food and Culture of the Land of Spices. London: Bloomsbury, 2007.

Bestor, Theodore. “Cuisine and Identity in Contemporary Japan.” Routledge Handbook of Japanese Culture and Society. London: Routledge Press, 2011.

Bhuyan, Aroonim. “India’s Food Industry on the Path of High Growth.” 2010. See http://www.corecentre.co.in/Database/Docs/DocFiles/food.pdf.

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Olivelle, Patrick. From Feast to Fast: Food and the Indian Ascetic in Collected Essays of Patrick Olivelle . Firenze: Firenze University Press, 1999.

Ray, Krishnenu and Tulasi Srinivas, eds. Curried Cultures: Globalization, Food, South Asia . Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012.

Sen, Amartya. Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlements and Deprivation. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982.

Sen, Colleen Taylor. Food Culture in India. London: Greenwood Press, 2004.

Srinivas, M.N. The Cohesive Role of Sankritization and Other Essays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, 1962.

Srinivas, Tulasi. “Everyday Exotic: Transnational Spaces and Contemporary Foodways in Bangalore.” Food, Culture and Society 10 no. 1 (2007).

Srinivas, Tulasi. “As Mother Made It: The Cosmopolitan Indian Family, ‘Authentic’ Food and the Construction of Cultural Utopia.” International Journal of Sociology of the Family 32 no. 2 (2006): 199–221.

Toomey, Paul. “Mountain of Food, Mountain of Love: Ritual Inversion in the Annakūta Feast at Mount Govardhan.” Ravindra S. Khare, ed. The Eternal Food: Gastronomic Ideas and Experiences of Hindus and Buddhists. Albany: SUNY Press, 1992.

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Indian Culture Essay

India is renowned throughout the world for its tradition and culture. It is a country with many different cultures and traditions. The world's ancient civilisations can be found in this country. Good manners, etiquette, civilised dialogue, customs, beliefs, values, etc., are essential elements of Indian culture . India is a special country because of the ability of its citizens from many cultures and traditions to live together in harmony. Here are a few sample essays on ‘Indian culture’.

100 Words Essay on Indian Culture

India's culture is the oldest in the world and dates back over 5,000 years. The first and greatest cultures in the world are regarded as being those of India. The phrase "Unity in Diversity" refers to India as a diverse nation where people of many religions coexist while maintaining their distinct customs. People of different religions have different languages, culinary customs, ceremonies, etc and yet they all live in harmony.

Hindi is India's official language. However, there are 400 other languages regularly spoken in India's many states and territories, in addition to the country's nearly 22 recognised languages. History has established India as the country where religions like Buddhism and Hinduism first emerged.

200 Words Essay on Indian Culture

India is a land of diverse cultures, religions, languages, and traditions. The rich cultural heritage of India is a result of its long history and the various invasions and settlements that have occurred in the country. Indian culture is a melting pot of various customs and traditions, which have been passed down from generation to generation.

Religion | Religion plays a significant role in Indian culture. The major religions practiced in India are Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Each religion has its own set of beliefs, customs, and practices. Hinduism, the oldest religion in India, is the dominant religion and has a vast array of gods and goddesses. Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism are also widely practiced and have a significant number of followers in the country.

Food | Indian cuisine is known for its diverse range of flavors and spices. Each region in India has its own unique style of cooking and distinct dishes. Indian cuisine is known for its use of spices, herbs, and a variety of cooking techniques. Some of the most famous Indian dishes include biryani, curry, tandoori chicken, and dal makhani. Indian cuisine is also famous for its street food, which is a popular and affordable way to experience the diverse range of flavors that Indian food has to offer.

500 Words Essay on Indian Culture

Indian culture is known for its rich art and architecture. The ancient Indus Valley Civilization, which existed around 2500 BCE, had a sophisticated system of town planning and impressive architectural structures. Indian art is diverse and includes painting, sculpture, and architecture. The most famous form of Indian art is the cave paintings of Ajanta and Ellora, which date back to the 2nd century BCE. Indian architecture is also famous for its temples, palaces, and forts, which are a reflection of the rich cultural heritage of the country.

Music and dance are an integral part of Indian culture . Indian music is diverse and ranges from classical to folk to modern. The classical music of India is known for its use of ragas, which are a set of musical notes that are used to create a melody. The traditional Indian dance forms include Kathak, Bharatanatyam, and Kathakali. These dance forms are known for their elaborate costumes, expressive gestures, and intricate footwork.

My Experience

I had always been fascinated by the rich culture and history of India. So, when I finally got the opportunity to visit the country, I was beyond excited. I had heard so much about the diverse customs and traditions of India, and I couldn't wait to experience them firsthand. The moment I stepped off the plane and hit the streets, I was greeted by the overwhelming smell of spices and the hustle and bustle of the streets. I knew right away that I was in for an unforgettable journey.

My first stop was the ancient city of Varanasi, also known as Banaras. As I walked through the streets, I was struck by the vibrant colors and the sound of temple bells and chants. I visited the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple and was amazed by the intricate architecture and the devotion of the devotees.

From Varanasi, I traveled to Jaipur, also known as the Pink City . Here, I visited the famous Amber Fort, which was built in the 16th century. The fort was a perfect example of the rich architecture of India and the level of craftsmanship that existed in ancient India.

As I continued my journey, I also had the opportunity to experience the food of India. From the spicy curries of the south to the tandoori dishes of the north, I was blown away by the range of flavors and the use of spices.

I also had the chance to experience the music and dance of India. I attended a Kathak dance performance and was mesmerized by the intricate footwork and the expressiveness of the dancers. I also had the opportunity to attend a classical music concert and was struck by the beauty of the ragas and the skill of the musicians.

My journey through India was truly an unforgettable experience. I had the chance to experience the diverse customs and traditions of India and was struck by the richness of the culture. From the ancient temples to the vibrant street markets, India is a treasure trove of history and culture. I knew that this would not be my last trip to India, as there is so much more to explore and experience.

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Cuisine of India: A Culinary Journey Through Regions and Flavours

Cuisine of India: A Culinary Journey Through Regions and Flavours Blogs Home

22 Feb 2024

Indian food represents a multifaceted fabric woven over five millennia of cross-cultural interaction and culinary development. This complex history is a reflection of the blending of various people and cultures, which has produced a wide range of tastes and local specialities. It would be thus right to state that what we refer to today as “ Indian Cuisine ” is a blend of various culinary traditions. Each region of India: North or South, East or West, has its variations, with distinctive ingredients, ways of cooking, and cultural practices that are local and unique to each place.

History & Cultural Significance

Indian food has a fascinating history that is intricately woven into the country's cultural fabric. Its beginnings can be traced back to ancient times when extravagant feasts and culinary traditions were described in revered texts that included the Vedas and the Mahabharata. Indian food has changed dramatically over time, signifying the trade routes that linked the subcontinent with far-off places. The culinary styles of the Mughals, British, and Portuguese , as well as the early colonists who brought aromatic spices, have all had an impact on Indian cuisine. The influence of Indian food, similarly, goes much beyond its boundaries, influencing trade and global interactions. One cannot forget to mention the historic spice trade between India & Europe which was a major factor in driving “ Europe’s Age of Discovery ”. Much beyond it, the interchange of culinary art has had an impact on Southeast Asia, the British Isles and the Caribbean.

Due to vast variations in local culture, geography, seasons and availability of ingredients, Indian cuisine varies from region to region. Although it's not entirely fair to compress the regions into four headings, owing to the large number of cuisines and the most suitable way to dissect them, the division can be done under four headings- North, South, East, West.

North India

The world-famous North Indian cuisine consists of tandoor-cooked meats and vegetables that are enhanced with yoghurt and cream. Grains such as naan and chapatis, which are perfect side dishes, are produced from the region's abundant wheat. Born in the Mughal Empire's imperial kitchens, Mughlai cuisine delivers delicious non-vegetarian treats enhanced with saffron, yoghurt, and fried onions.

With flavours influenced by Central Asia, Kashmiri cuisine offers more than thirty different types of mutton dishes that are prepared in a special way called Wazwan , which involves boiling spices to give them a particular aroma. When one talks about North Indian food, Punjab dominates my imagination. It is home to famous delicacies like Sarson Da Saag, Mah ki Dal, and Chole Bhature. The idea of Dhabas is well-known to every traveller on most highways.

Much Similar to Persian, Kashmiri, and Punjabi cuisine, Awadhi food is renowned for its dum cooking method, which involves slow simmering food in a sealed pot while presenting flavorful ingredients like mutton and paneer as well as fragrant spices like saffron and cardamom.

South India

Food in South India is centred around griddle-cooked dosas, spicy sambar, and numerous seafood , with flavours of tamarind, coconut, and 'kari' leaves. Famous Hyderabadi meals like biryani and chicken korma, which are influenced by Mughlai flavours, are served throughout Andhra Pradesh.

Karnataka's diverse cuisine exhibits a diverse spectrum of food. It includes Brahmin pure vegetarian foods on one hand and non-vegetarian food on the other like the renowned pork specialties of Coorg, which is influenced by the nearby states of Maharashtra and Goa.

Globally popular Chettinad cuisine hailing from Tamil Nadu is renowned for its fiery flavours and aristocratic background. Muslim Moplah cuisine, with Arab- inspired dishes like Alisa , is found along the Malabar coast, while Kerala's diverse ethnic blend produces delicious foods like appam and stew, ulli theeyal, and famous banana chips.

Bengali food is renowned for its use of mustard oil and chilli peppers , and it has strong flavours and a wide variety of spices. The food has a delicate but unique flavour profile, centred mostly on fish, veggies, lentils, and grains. A signature dish is fresh sweet water fish, which can be made in a variety of ways, including steaming, braising, or stewing it with sauces made with mustard or coconut milk.

Oriya food is known for its subtle flavours and love of seafood , particularly prawns and crab. It also incorporates delicate spices. As a result of their distinct environment and cultural legacies, the north-eastern states of Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, and Nagaland have varied culinary traditions that are inspired by Tibetan, Chinese, and Western cuisines.

Rajasthani food is a broad range that includes the lavish meat-based foods that the royals enjoyed as well as the equally elaborate vegetarian diet of Marwar and Jodhpur, which includes famous dishes like Dal baati and choorma laddoo. Gujarati food , which is primarily vegetarian, has a range of delicacies with a hint of sweetness, such as oondhia, patra, khaandavi, and thhepla.

Dhansakh , a trademark dish of Parsi cuisine , which is a representation of the Zoroastrian culture in India, combines caramelised onions and brown rice with a mixture of dals, vegetables, and meat. It is typically consumed on Sundays and other festive occasions.

Portuguese colonisation also left its mark on Goan cuisine, which includes spicy gravies and spices ground with coconut and vinegar, such as in dishes like Vindaloos, Xacuti, and Balchão .

The food of the Konkan region, known as Malvani/Konkani cuisine, is a fusion of vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Malvani dishes are known for their spicy coconut flavour, whilst Konkanastha Brahmin cuisine tends to be milder and vegetarian in nature.

Much like everything else, the Cuisines of India are unique to every region, with special ingredients and unique cooking methods. Exploring Indian food is similar to a journey with no destination, yet full of uniqueness, history and local customs. One must accept its enormous variety, a wide range of preparation methods and regional quirks.

I must say, while researching for this blog, I learnt so much about Indian cuisines myself and understood one thing clearly, that is to know Indian food without appreciating its diverse flavours is impossible. So take a bite of every unique dish next time you visit a new state in India!

References:

https://indianlocalfoods.com/about-indian-food/
https://www.cgihamburg.gov.in/pdf/Food_Diplomacy_August_14_2014.pdf

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Indian Cuisine: Personal Experiences Essay

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Indian Cuisine

Like in any well-defined culture, food is an important aspect of the Indian way of life. Food is an important part of the Indian social fabric and families take pride in serving the best Indian cuisine and sharing it with their friends and kinsmen. The Indian cuisine has a wide variety of dishes and it is distinctly known for its reliance on spices. Nevertheless, Indian food encompasses diversity that comes from the vastness of its geographical origins. Furthermore, Indian food is influenced by climatic conditions of various areas, ethnicity, religion, culture, and economic class (Srinivas, 2011). Vegetarianism is a vital component of Indian food. This paper is an evaluation of the Indian culture through its cuisine.

The significance of food within the Indian culture dates back to about 7000 BC. However, by around this time most of the foods that make up the modern Indian cuisine were non-existent. Spices and most of the other condiments that characterize Indian food today were introduced to Indians at around 3000 BC. Some of the spices that became part of Indian food in 3000 BC such as pepper, mustard, and turmeric are still in existence today. Other types of food that have become staples in Indian cuisine were introduced to Indians through cultural interactions. For instance, foods such as potatoes, chilies, and tomatoes were introduced to India by immigrants but these items later became key components of Indian cuisine.

A typical traditional Indian meal is composed of about two or three main meals that are accompanied by several side dishes. Indian foods are often classified in accordance with their region of origin. Differences in Indian food are characterized by their areas of popularity namely eastern, western, northern, or southern. The most important components of Indian food are rice, flour, spices, and pulses. The most common spices in India are of the curry variety and they are often put in vegetables and other dishes.

Food in the Indian culture has a spiritual significance because it is understood to be a key component of all lives. For instance, the ancient texts of Rigveda contain a hymn that praises food and refers to it as the ‘Lord of all creatures’. Furthermore, “it is stated in the Prasna Upanishad that God created food and all the individuals, vigor, rituals and activities depend on it” (Narayan, 2005, p. 65). Within the Indian culture, breakfast is an important meal that mainly consists of a tea or coffee beverage. Dinner is the most ‘ceremonial’ meal of the day whereas families engage in social talks. It is common for Indians to engage in dietary restrictions in accordance with religious values. Most people eat Indian food when they are seated in the floor or on low-lying seats.

My research of Indian food revealed various cultural aspects about India that were hitherto unknown to me. One of the facts that appeared interesting to me was the age of most Indian cuisines. Through my research of Indian food, I discovered that some of the main foods that make up the Indian cuisine have been in existence for thousands of years. This ‘antiquity’ is quite uncommon among western cultures where most cuisines are almost ‘fads’ (Kittler & Nelms, 2011). For example, in my country the suitability of any cuisine depends on how ‘fashionable’ it is. It was also interesting to learn that ‘Indian food’ is not a term that applies to all the food that is found within the ‘sub-continent’ of India. I learnt that there are regional variations within Indian food in accordance with their area of origin.

Popular media such as the television show ‘Big Bang Theory’ often puts Indian food in competition with other foods such as Chinese and Italian cuisine whereas food from India always comes off as being inferior. My research into Indian food included eating Indian food for the first time. My experience with Indian cuisine showed me that people who consume it tend to overstate the effect that spices have on their digestive system. On the other hand, I found some of the breads that were served as part of Indian food to be quite tasty. After enquiring about what else was offered as part of Indian cuisine, the server informed me about sweets and other confectionaries that are popular in India.

Consequently, I became aware of the ‘fun’ side of the Indian culture where confectionaries are enjoyed by both adults and children. The manner in which Indian food is served is also a strong indicator of the importance of hosting within this culture. Food is presented with outmost care and as a precious commodity. For instance, even food stands that serve Indian food do not necessarily offer ‘rushed’ service to their customers. Nevertheless, my most important experience with Indian food was learning that it is strongly tied to the people of Indian ethnicity. This fact was realized because eighty percent of the people in the Indian restaurant that I visited including customers and servers had authentic connections to Indian culture. I also realized that there is a general lack of capitalist intentions surrounding Indian food as there are with other cultures and their foods such as Chinese, Mexican, and Italian cuisines.

Kittler, P. G., & Nelms, M. (2011). Food and culture . New York: Cengage Learning.

Narayan, U. (2005). Eating cultures: incorporation, identity and Indian food. Social Identities , 1 (1), 63-86.

Srinivas, T. (2011). Exploring Indian Culture through Food. Education About Asia , 16 (3), 38-41.

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Evolution of Indian Gastronomy: A Tale of Fusion

The Indian culinary culture is a product of historical and cultural developments spanning over thousands of years. Indian cuisine can be best described as a “palimpsest”, which denotes something which contains multiple layers or aspects beneath the surface, with each layer exerting an unalterable impact upon the whole. Cultural exchanges occurring as a result of trade, travel, conquests and invasions have all contributed towards its culinary heritage.

A spread of Indian dishes

Prehistoric antecedents: The Beginnings of Agriculture

Some of the earliest evidence for the beginning of agriculture in the Indian subcontinent comes from its north-western part. Archaeological evidence found in northern Rajasthan suggests that forests were cleared and crops were grown in this region as early as 8000 BCE. One of the most important prehistoric sites that is significant in terms of the development of agriculture is Mehrgarh in Baluchistan. Wheat and barley were grown in this region as early as 6500 BCE. By around the 3rd millennium BCE, settlements also came up in river valleys of the Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, in the southern part of the subcontinent. The evidence of large open bowls and pots suggest that forms of porridge and gruel-like food might have been eaten during this period. It might also suggest the existence of the practice of community dining.

Indus Valley: Cities and Surplus

The Indus Valley Civilisation (3000-2000 BCE) or Harappan Civilisation, emerged along the fertile river valleys of the Punjab and Sindh. It is one of the earliest known urban civilisations of the world. Scholars suggest that the urban cities of this civilisation were supported by surplus food production in the outlying areas. The number and variety of crops cultivated greatly diversified during this period. Archaeological evidence suggests that wheat, barley, lentils, peas and sesame were some of the principal crops grown.

Furrow marks on an agricultural field, Kalibangan, Rajasthan

Mud oven, Kalibangan, Rajasthan

Although bread was the staple, rice was also eaten. Symbols of fish were widely found on the seals, which suggests that it formed a part of the diet. Archaeologists have discovered an agricultural field in Kalibangan (Rajasthan), a major planned city of the Indus Valley Civilization. The field contains scrapes in a crisscross pattern that have been identified as furrows caused by ploughing. It is interesting to note that even today this crisscross method of ploughing is followed by farmers in some areas around the excavation site.

In Kalibangan, several thousand charred grains of barley have also been identified indicating that it might have been a staple of the region during these times. Small ovens plastered in mud, closely resembling modern tandoors , have also been discovered at the site. As the principal cities of the Indus Valley were engaged in a brisk trade with Mesopotamia, culinary influences from the latter, especially in terms of cooking bread and meat might have travelled to the Harappan cities.

A plough, Banawali, Haryana

Vedic Period: The Primacy of Gau and Yajnas

We sing your praises, O Food. From you we obtain as butter from a cow, our sacrificial offerings. O you, convivial feasts of god and men. -Hymn 187, Rig Veda

During the Vedic period, important developments in society influenced the growth of specific culinary habits. It was during this period that stratification based on caste or birth was introduced in the society which also brought in its trail the notion of purity and pollution associated with food. The religion of the Vedas was centred on the performance of yajna or sacrifices. The sacrifices involved offering cooked food to gods by a householder on the domestic hearth, elaborate public sacrifices and the drinking of soma (an intoxicating liquid). The cow was central to the society, economy and polity of the Vedic age. This naturally entailed the wide prevalence of dairy products in the culinary repertoire of this period. A preparation of milk with grains and parched barley was called odana . Barley was the principal grain of the period. Oilseeds such as sesame and mustard were also used. Among fruits and vegetables, one finds mention of bilva (bael), amalaka (myrobalan fruit) and mangoes in the Vedic literature.

A painting depicting Sujata offering food to Buddha after prolonged fasting, Wat Kasatrathirat, Ban Pom, Thailand

Intellectual Moorings: Food as a Cosmic Principle

The period between the 6th and the 3rd century BCE in India is known as the second urbanisation and saw the growth of several urban centres in the Gangetic valley of India. This period also witnessed an intellectual ferment which gave rise to some of the major religious and philosophical schools of the Indian subcontinent: such as Jainism and Buddhism. This phase was marked by philosophical reflections regarding the nature of the self and the universe which in turn had implications for culinary trends in the region. Food was considered as the life-giving source of living beings and hence was equated with the being itself. In the complex cycle of life in the universe, a being becomes the food of another, which again is food for the third and the chain goes on. A popular legend in Buddhism recounts the tale of a devout lady Sujata offering a bowl of boiled rice and milk to an emaciated Buddha during his phase of severe penance. It is believed that Buddha was able to obtain enlightenment only after being revived by this food.

This incident is said to have encouraged him to abandon the principle of extreme penance for the Middle Path. Both Buddhism and Jainism stressed on the ideal of ahimsa or non-injury to living beings. Scholars argue that this encouraged vegetarianism among the common people. Hinduism was also influenced by such ideals. The timeless epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were composed between the later half of the 2nd millennium and the first half of the 1st millennium BCE. Bhima, one of the Pandavas and a principal character of the Mahabharata , is known to have had a voracious appetite and exceptional physical strength.

Classical Age: The Growth of Trade, State and Orthodoxy

An important feature of the period between the 1st and the 5th century CE is India’s brisk trade with other South-Asian countries. This period also saw the rise of strong empires such as that of the Guptas which provided a further fillip to trade. Traces of cultural exchange via trade can still be found in the Indian cuisine. Spices formed a major commodity of commerce. The Gupta empire had major trade relations with the Roman empire. After the latter broke up, trade relations were continued with the Byzantine empire. Some of the major commodities of this trade were spices such as long pepper, white pepper and cardamom. Pepper was also exported to Iran in exchange for horses of superior breed. Another important feature of this period was the development of a class of Sanskrit texts called Dharmasastras which mention the code of conduct and moral principles (dharma) for brahmanical religion.

Spices were a major commodity of overseas trade during the Gupta period

These texts laid down rules concerning cooking and consumption of food which had larger implications for notions of ritual purity and pollution within Brahmanism. It is difficult to determine the extent of legal authority that these texts enjoyed. Given the enduring heterogeneous nature of Indian society, the dietary regulations and injunctions mentioned in the texts were perhaps not followed to the letter. However, they were perhaps woven into the fabric of day to day life and enjoyed moral and spiritual importance in the society.

Map of an overview of Indo-Roman trade

Puranic Hinduism and the Concept of Food as Naivedya and Prasada

Invoking daily god Visnu by chanting the aforesaid mantra, one should offer, with concentrated mind, articles of worship such as water for washing his hands and feet, and rinse his mouth and water for taking bath, silken garments, the sacred thread, ornaments, sandal-paste, flowers, incense, light, food and other articles. - Bhagavata Purana , VI.19.8

Fruits are common offerings to deities in Hinduism

Starting from around the 5th century CE, an important class of religious texts called the Puranas were composed. This period is marked by the growth of the concept of personal gods in Hinduism. These deities could be appeased by offering puja (worship) which included offering specific food items as bhoga or naivedya . Each deity in popular Hinduism has his or her culinary preferences. For example, Visnu is generally offered ghee and milk-based foods. Ganesha is known for his love of sweets, especially a variety called modaka . After food is offered to the deity, the leftover called prasada is distributed among the devotees and is believed to be endowed with the deity’s blessing. Another important development during this period was the growth of Tantricism. In sharp contrast to mainstream Brahmanical religion, Tantricism considered mamsa (meat) and madya (wine) to be worthy offerings to god, and encouraged their use among devotees. Tantricism, as an ideal, sought to unleash the power of the forbidden substances as a way to reach the divine.

Mahaprasada of Lord Jagannatha

Impact of Islamic culture: Food Fit for Royalty

Whosoever when hungry and with food before him, hears the supplication of a poor man and bestows it all upon him, will be rich and liberal. - Ain-i-Akbari

Influences from the middle east have over time made Indian cuisine rich in flavours and variety. Some of the earliest influences were brought by Syrian Christians from the Arab world which deeply influenced the cuisine of Kerala. It is fascinating that samosa , a popular snack in north India, probably had origins in the Arab world. The Arab cookbooks of the 10th and the 11th century CE mention meat-filled patties called sambusas . “The arrival of traders, spiritual leaders and conquerors from the Middle-east, starting from the 7th century CE on the Indian soil, introduced new elements to the cultural fabric of this country. It also brought about lasting influences in the gastronomical culture of the subcontinent.” Such culinary influences achieved the most refined and sophisticated form under the Mughals.

Biryani , a favoured delicacy of Mughlai Cuisine

Chicken barbequed in Mughlai Style

Some of the important contributions of the Middle East to the Indian cuisine are the introduction of rich gravies with nuts, saffron and aromatic herbs, and various kinds of bread. The Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazal mentions dishes such as yakhni (a meat stock), musamman and stuffed roasted chicken, and also cooking techniques such as dampukht (a slow cooking technique) and biryani (frying or roasting). Breads such as sheermal, roomali and tandoori roti are also a gift of the Mughals to the Indian cuisine. It is believed that kulfi , a popular contemporary Indian dessert, also originated in Mughal India. The Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi was a medieval cookbook commissioned by Ghiyath Shah (1469-1500 CE), the ruler of Malwa. This text ,composed in Persian, is a compilation of medieval recipes enhanced with rich illustrations.

Samosas being served to Ghiyath Shah, ruler of Malwa, the Nimatnama

Art of preparing kheer, the Nimatnama

The Europeans in India and Culinary Arrivals from the New World

...Julienne soup, full of bullety bottled peas, pseudo-cottage bread, fish full of branching bones, pretending to be plaice, more bottled peas with the cutlets, trifles, sardines on toast: the menu of Anglo-India. - A Passage to India

The Europeans who started coming to the Indian subcontinent by the 16th century brought many novel items of food to the Indian subcontinent. The Portuguese introduced potatoes, chillies, papayas, pineapples, peanuts, guavas and tobacco to the Indian culinary basket. The potatoes in India came to be known as alu , a generic Sanskrit term for tuber. Portuguese influence enriched the cuisine of Goa, which was their capital. Similarly, the cuisine of Pondicherry reflects the legacy of French colonial influence.

Chillies were brought to the Indian subcontinent from the New World

Potatoes were introduced in the Indian subcontinent by the Portuguese

The British, who ruled India for 200 years, introduced the cultivation of tea to the Indian soil in the form of large plantations. Many vegetables which were initially grown in India by the British for their use, were harmoniously incorporated into the Indian cuisine such as, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach and carrots.

Modern Trends: The Vibrant World of Cafes, Dhabas and Online Apps

The Indian cuisine continues to evolve over time. The restaurant culture in India is a product of modern times. Traditionally, caste norms associated with commensality prevented Indians of different social groups from dining together. However, taverns and inns that served a variety of food items existed since ancient times. A category of restaurants called dhabas have become quite popular during the present times. Originally patronised by lorry drivers, these eating spaces have become popular among the urban youth of today. The intermingling of culinary cultures of India and China has resulted in a new genre of Chinese food, popular in India, called the Indo-Chinese. Another important development is that street food in India has moved beyond the streets and been taken over by large food chains. With the recent introduction of mobile-based applications associated with food, the access to a variety of cuisine from the comfort of one’s home has become possible.

A scene from a modern-day restaurant in India

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Essay on South Indian Food

Students are often asked to write an essay on South Indian Food in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on South Indian Food

Introduction.

South Indian food is a delightful blend of flavors, colors, and textures. It’s not just about idlis and dosas, but a vast culinary treasure trove.

Diversity in Dishes

The cuisine includes a variety of dishes like sambar, rasam, and palya. Each region has its unique dishes like Hyderabadi biryani or Chettinad chicken.

Healthy and Nutritious

South Indian food is nutritious as it includes grains, lentils, and vegetables. The use of coconut and spices makes it tasty and healthy.

In conclusion, South Indian food is a gastronomic delight that offers diversity, health benefits, and an explosion of flavors.

250 Words Essay on South Indian Food

South Indian food, a rich tapestry of flavors, colors, and textures, is an integral part of the diverse culinary landscape of India. Renowned for its unique blend of spices, the cuisine is as vibrant as the culture and traditions of the South Indian states it represents.

Distinctive Features

South Indian cuisine is characterized by its sophisticated use of spices and condiments, including mustard seeds, curry leaves, tamarind, and coconut. The cuisine is primarily vegetarian, though coastal regions also offer a plethora of seafood dishes. Rice, a staple grain, forms the foundation of most meals, often served with sambar, a tangy lentil soup, and a variety of chutneys.

Nutritional Aspects

The cuisine is not just delicious, but also highly nutritious. Most dishes are fermented, steamed, or stewed, preserving the nutritional content of the ingredients. The use of lentils and legumes provides a rich source of protein, while the inclusion of various vegetables ensures a balanced diet.

Signature Dishes

Idli, dosa, and vada are some of the most popular South Indian dishes, enjoyed not just in India but across the globe. These dishes are typically served with sambar and coconut chutney. Another iconic dish is the Hyderabadi biryani, a fragrant rice dish cooked with succulent pieces of meat and aromatic spices.

South Indian food is a testament to the region’s rich cultural heritage and biodiversity. The cuisine’s distinctive flavors, health benefits, and diverse range of dishes make it a favorite among food lovers worldwide. The essence of South Indian cuisine lies in its simplicity and the perfect balance of flavors that leave a lasting impression on the palate.

500 Words Essay on South Indian Food

Introduction to south indian cuisine.

South Indian cuisine, characterized by its sophisticated and diverse food culture, is a gastronomic delight that reflects the rich cultural heritage of the region. It is an amalgamation of flavors, colors, seasoning, nutritional balance, fragrance, taste, and visual appeal. This cuisine is much-loved for its brilliant use of a multitude of spices and condiments, wide assortment of dishes, and the traditional method of serving meals on a banana leaf.

Key Ingredients and Dietary Preferences

Regional variations.

While there is a common thread of ingredients and flavors, regional variations are significant in South Indian cuisine. The fiery Andhra food, the mild yet flavorful Karnataka cuisine, the seafood-dominated Kerala cuisine, and the spice-laden Chettinad cuisine each offer unique culinary experiences. These regional cuisines are shaped by geographical, cultural, and historical influences, showcasing the diversity within South Indian food culture.

South Indian cuisine boasts a plethora of dishes that are now popular worldwide. Idli, dosa, vada, and uttapam, served with sambar and a variety of chutneys, are the most recognizable. The biryanis of Hyderabad, the seafood curries of Kerala, the Chettinad chicken, and the sweet Mysore Pak are other notable dishes that have carved a niche for themselves in the global culinary scene.

Health Aspects

Influence and global recognition.

The influence of South Indian cuisine has transcended borders, with dishes like dosa and biryani gaining popularity worldwide. This cuisine’s global recognition is a testament to its unique flavors, health benefits, and the skillful use of spices. It has been embraced by food lovers globally, further elevating its status and making it a symbol of India’s rich culinary heritage.

In conclusion, South Indian cuisine is a vibrant and flavorful culinary tradition that reflects the region’s cultural diversity and rich heritage. Its emphasis on local ingredients and balanced nutrition, coupled with its unique taste and global popularity, makes it one of the most cherished cuisines worldwide. Whether it’s the humble idli, the fiery Andhra curry, or the sweet Mysore Pak, South Indian food offers a gastronomic journey that is both delightful and memorable.

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Indian Culture and Tradition Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on indian culture and tradition.

India has a rich culture and that has become our identity. Be it in religion, art, intellectual achievements, or performing arts, it has made us a colorful, rich, and diverse nation. The Indian culture and tradition essay is a guideline to the vibrant cultures and traditions followed in India.

India was home to many invasions and thus it only added to the present variety. Today, India stands as a powerful and multi-cultured society as it has absorbed many cultures and moved on. People here have followed various religion , traditions, and customs.

Although people are turning modern today, hold on to the moral values and celebrates the festivals according to customs. So, we are still living and learning epic lessons from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Also, people still throng Gurudwaras, temples, churches, and mosques.

The culture in India is everything from people’s living, rituals, values, beliefs, habits, care, knowledge, etc. Also, India is considered as the oldest civilization where people still follows their old habits of care and humanity.

Additionally, culture is a way through which we behave with others, how softly we react to different things, our understanding of ethics, values, and beliefs.

People from the old generation pass their beliefs and cultures to the upcoming generation. Thus, every child that behaves well with others has already learned about their culture from grandparents and parents.

Also, here we can see culture in everything like fashion , music , dance , social norms, foods, etc. Thus, India is one big melting pot for having behaviors and beliefs which gave birth to different cultures.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Indian Culture and Religion

There are many religions that have found their origin in age-old methods that are five thousand years old. Also, it is considered because Hinduism was originated from Vedas.

Thus, all the Hindu scriptures that are considered holy have been scripted in the Sanskrit language. Also, it is believed that Jainism has ancient origin and existence in the Indus valley. Buddhism is the other religion that was originated in the country through the teachings of Gautam Buddha.

There are many different eras that have come and gone but no era was very powerful to change the influence of the real culture. So, the culture of younger generations is still connected to the older generations. Also, our ethnic culture always teaches us to respect elders, behave well, care for helpless people, and help needy and poor people.

Additionally, there is a great culture in our country that we should always welcome guest like gods. That is why we have a famous saying like ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. So, the basic roots in our culture are spiritual practices and humanity.

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Indian Culture and Tradition Essay | Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Indian Culture and Tradition Essay: Indian Culture and Traditions are unique across the world. The Indian Culture and Traditions Essay elaborated on the variety of traditions and cultures followed by people in India. India is a country of having many cultures, traditions, and religions that made people living in a peaceful, colorful, rich, and diverse nation. It is unbelievable that different directions of India like north, south, east, and west have their own cultures and traditions.

India is having 29 states and 7 union territories across all the directions. There are 22 languages and several religions like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, etc. exist in India. Whereas Hindi is the official language of India. However, India is the oldest civilization where people still follow their old cultures of caring and humanity. Even though people became modern in today’s world, still they celebrate festivals as per the customs.

You can read more Essay Writing about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long and Short Essays on Indian Culture and Tradition for Students and Kids in English

Indian culture is famous across the world due to its diversity in music, art, dance, language, cuisine, costume, philosophy, and literature. The important characteristics of Indian Culture are civilized communication, beliefs, values, etiquette, and rituals. India is well known for its ‘Unity in Diversity’ across the world. That means India is a diverse nation where many religious people live together peacefully having their own different cultures. So, we can see people of different languages, dresses, food habits, and rituals living with unity in India.

Long Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition 500 Words in English

A Long Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay will be helpful for students in classes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Indian Culture and Religion

Indian Religion has a great impact on shaping the culture and traditions of India. India has several religions that originated five thousand years ago. Hinduism originated from Vedas, so all Hindu scriptures have been scripted in the Sanskrit language. People believe that Jainism has an ancient origin and exists in the Indus valley. Whereas another religion, Buddhism originated through the teachings of Gautam Buddha in the country. There are various eras that came and gone but have not changed the influence of real culture. That is why the younger generations still follow the older generation’s culture.

However, Indian ethnic culture teaches people to care for the helpless, help poor people, and respect elders. The traditional aspect of India to greet anybody is by saying ‘Namaste’ and touching the elder’s feet. The traditional family structure in India is a joint family, where many generations stay together in one house. People in India still follow the traditional marriage concept of ‘Arranged Marriage’ where the life partner of a child will be chosen by their parents.

Art is also one of the special cultures of India. Each state of India has its own form of dancing and singing such as Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, and so forth. Moreover, Indian people welcome their guests like God by following the great Indian culture. People believe in the popular saying that ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. Therefore, humanity and spiritual practices are the roots of Indian culture.

Indian Festivals

Festivals play an important role in Indian culture and tradition. People from different religions celebrate different festivals in India. Popular festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, Navratri, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. are celebrated by Hindu people in India. Whereas Eid-ul-Fitr, Bakrid, Muharram, etc. festivals are celebrated by Islamic people in India. Other than this, many harvest festivals like Makar Sankranti, Chapchar kut, Pongal, Sohrai, etc. are celebrated by farmers.

However, Christians also celebrate Christmas, Good Friday, etc. festivals in India. There also exist different regional festivals in each state of India like Teej, Onam, Ugadi, Saraswati Puja, Panna Sankranti, Chhath Pooja, Pongal, Lohri, and so forth.

Indian Cuisine

Indian Cuisine is also equally diverse in India like festivals and religions. Indian food and eating habits differ from place to place as each state has its own particular food and eating habits. In other words, people belonging to various parts of the country have their own cuisine, living style, environment, and availability of goods. Indian cuisine is most inspirational. Different states have different cuisines. Indian foods include so many ingredients and are more influential across the world. Indian food is mainly influenced by the diversity of people, so it has a variety of rich Cuisine. North Indian food includes vegetables, roti, dal, rice, fish curry, parathas, etc. South Indian food includes dosa, sambar, idli, vada, upma, uttapam, etc. In general, South Indian people cook food using coconut oil rather than mustard or sunflower oil.

Short Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition 300 Words in English

A Short Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition will be helpful for students in classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Indian Costume

Indian Costumes are different for the different states of India. It varies depending on the origin, climate, and heritage of the place. Indian culture still follows traditional costumes. In eastern states such as Odisha, West Bengal and southern states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, women wear saree as the authentic clothing. It is a single and long fabric piece draped around the body.

In a similar way, men wear Dhoti-Kurta or Kurta-Pyjama as the authentic clothing in eastern states. In northern states like Punjab, women wear salwar kameez and Kurti as traditional clothing. Whereas men wear headgear or turban known as the Dastar as the traditional clothing. In India, all the married Women wear Sindoor, a vermilion powder in the parting of their hair. They also wear bindi, Mehendi, bangles, and earrings as part of their attire.

Indian Literature

In the 19th century, the first literature Rigveda was created in India. It was written in Sanskrit and became the foundation of many religious scriptures and literary works laterwards. Also, the Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda written by the Aryans followed by Indians. Other famous literary works are Ramayana written by Rishi Valmiki and Mahabharata written by Rishi Vyasa in India.

The Biographies of kings like the Mughal Empire, Baburnama, and Akbarnama are also precious literature by which we can know about the era. Other than this, foreign travelers have written some scriptures like Fa Hein and Hussein Tsung which provide knowledge about Indian people’s traditions and lifestyles.

Conclusion on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

India is a land of rich culture and tradition which teaches people kindness, generosity, and tolerance. Indian culture differs from place to place as it is a multilingual, multicultural, and multi-ethnic society. Indian culture is a unique blend of modern western culture and historical traditions. India is a country of great legends where many great people were born and remembered forever due to their sacrifice for the nation. People across the world come to enjoy and feel the culture and tradition of India.

FAQ’s on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

Question 1. What are Tradition and Culture?

Answer: Tradition is the customs and beliefs which are followed by people of one generation to another. Whereas culture is the customs, values, and social behavior within a group or society.

Question 2. What is the importance of Indian culture?

Answer: Indian Culture is unique across the world. India is well known for its ‘Unity in Diversity’ across the world. That means India is a diverse nation where many religious people live together peacefully having their own different cultures. So, we can see people of different languages, dresses, food habits, and rituals living with unity in India. Indian culture is famous across the world due to its diversity in music, art, dance, language, cuisine, costume, philosophy, and literature.

Question 3. What is Indian Tradition?

Answer: The traditional aspect of India is to greet anybody by saying ‘Namaste’ and touching the elder’s feet. The traditional family structure in India is a joint family, where many generations stay together in one house. People in India still follow the traditional marriage concept of ‘Arranged Marriage’ where the life partner of a child will be chosen by their parents.

Question 4. What is the food culture of India?

Answer: Indian food culture differs from place to place as each state has its own particular food and eating habits. Indian foods include so many ingredients and are more influential across the world. North Indian food includes vegetables, roti, dal, rice, fish curry, parathas, etc. South Indian food includes dosa, sambar, idli, vada, upma, uttapam, etc. In general, South Indian people cook food using coconut oil rather than mustard or sunflower oil.

Question 5. What are the important characteristics of Indian Culture?

Answer: The important characteristics of Indian Culture are civilized communication, beliefs, values, etiquette, and rituals.

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The Perpetual Quest for ‘Authenticity’ in Indian Cuisine: An Answer through History and Folklore

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This paper explores the continuous demand and supply of ‘authentic’ Indian food in restaurants across India with some discussion of the meaning of authenticity in this context. The author argues that authenticity is a character of a dish and a recipe is authentic by virtue of the logic behind its birth which lies its history, space, time and folklore. Often, a recipe is developed gradually over time and is not an immediate result of a historical event; in such cases, its history travels from word of mouth as culinary lore. The author, thus, defines several factors which were key to the development of contemporary Indian cuisine. These factors are divided into two categories, need and choice, based on the history and folklore associated with them. This becomes the groundwork for understanding the spirit of Indian cuisine.

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Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition

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Indian Culture and Tradition

India enjoys a wide variety of cultural and traditional presence amongst the 28 states. Indian origin religions Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism are all based on dharma and karma. Even, India is a blessed holy place which is also a native place for most of the religions. Recently, Muslim and Christianity also practised working amongst the whole India population. The pledge also added the line, ‘India is my country, and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.’

Indians are great with cooking; their spices are special for medicinal purposes, so visitors are difficult to adjust to with such heavy spices. The cricketers touring Indian pitches are out due to such food. Frequently, it's been observed that the sportsperson arrived in India either with cooking skills or with a cook. Spices such as cumin, turmeric and cardamom have been used for a long period, to make the dishes more delicious and nutritional. Wheat, rice and pulses help to complete the meal. The majority of the population is a vegetarian one due to their religious aspects.

Talking about the language, India is blessed with a wide range of languages used. Each state has its own language. A major part of the state is unable to speak other languages than the native one. Gujrathi, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi, Telugu and many more are the representative languages of the respective state. It's easy to recognize the person with the language he spoke. There are 15 regional languages but almost all of them Hindi is the national language of the country. Sanskrit is considered an ancient and respected language. And most of the legendary holy texts are found in Sanskrit only. Along with these, most of the people are aware of plenty of foreign languages.

Indian clothing is adorable to most of the foreigners. Woman wearing a sari is the pride of a nation. These create a pleasant effect and she looks so beautiful that a majority of foreign country’s female want to be like her. The origin of the sari is from the temple dancers in ancient times. Sari allows them to maintain modesty and freedom of movement. On the other hand, men traditionally wear a dhoti and kurta. Actually, Dhoti is a type of cloth without any further attached work done on it. The great Mahatma Gandhi was very fond of it and in their dignity, most of the people used to wear the same.

Apart from all the above facts, Indians are legends with arts and studious material. Shah-rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Dhirubhai Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan Rajnikant, Sundar Pichai are many more faces of India who are shining and representing India on a global scale. There are 20-30 grand festivals celebrated every year in which every festival pops up with history and respect to the respective religion. Even in terms of business, India is not behind. Agriculture is the best occupation of 70% of people in India. It’s our duty to protect the wonderful culture that we have.

Indian culture is one of the oldest and most unique cultures known across the globe. It has various kinds of traditional values, religion, dance, festivals, music, and cloth, which varies from each state or town even. Indian art, cuisine, religion, Literature, Education, Heritage, Clothes etc has a huge impact on the whole world where everyone admires and follows it. It is known as the land of cultural diversity. India thrives on a variety of languages, religions, and cultures due to the diverse race of people living in the country. It can be referred to as one of the world’s most culturally enriched countries. When one thinks of India, they picture colors, smiling faces of children running in the streets, bangle vendors, street food, music, religious festivals etc.

Religion

India is a land where different religious beliefs are followed. It is the land of many religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Four Indian religions namely Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism were born in India while others are not of Indian origin but have people following those faiths. The people of India keep a solid belief in religion as they believe that following a faith adds meaning and purpose to their lives as it is the way of life. The religions here are not only confined to beliefs but also include ethics, rituals, ceremonies, life philosophies and many more.

Families

Family plays a vital role in every Indian household. Indians are known to live together as a joint family with their grandparents, uncles and aunts, and the next generation of offspring as well. The house gets passed down from family to family throughout the generations. But with the new modern age, nuclear families are starting to become more common as children go out of town into cities for work or studies and get settled there, also everyone now prefers to have their own private life without any interference. But still, the concept of family get together and family gatherings are not lost as everyone does come together frequently.

Indian Festivals

India is well known for its traditional festivals all over the world. As it is a secular country with diversity in religions, every month some festival celebration happens. These festivals can be religious, seasonal or are of national importance. Every festival is celebrated uniquely in different ways according to their ritual as each of them has its unique importance. National festivals such as Gandhi Jayanti, Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated by the people of India across the entire nation. Religious festivals include Diwali, Dussehra, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Zuha, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. All the seasonal festivals such as Baisakhi, Onam, Pongal, Bihu etc are celebrated to mark the season of harvest during two harvesting seasons, Rabi and Kharif.

Festivals bring love, bond, cross-cultural exchange and moments of happiness among people.

Indian cuisine is known for a variety of spicy dishes, curry, rice items, sweets etc. Each cuisine includes a wide range of dishes and cooking techniques as it varies from region to region. Each region of India cooks different types of dishes using different ingredients, also food varies from every festival and culture as well. Hindus eat mostly vegetarian food items such as pulao, vegetables, daal, rajma etc whereas people from Islamic cultural backgrounds eat meat, kebabs, haleem etc. In the southernmost part of India, you will find people use a lot of coconut oil for cooking purposes, they eat a lot of rice items such as Dosa, Idli, Appam etc with Coconut chutney, sambhar.

Indian Clothing is considered to be the epitome of modesty and every style is very different in each region and state. But the two pieces of clothing that represent Indian culture are dhoti for men and saree for women. Women adorn themselves with a lot of bangles and Payal that goes around their ankles. Even clothing styles varied from different religions to regions to cultures. Muslim women preferred to wear salwar kameez whereas Christian women preferred gowns. Men mostly stuck to dhoti, lungi, shalwar and kurta.In modern days, people have changed their sense of style, men and women now wear more modern western clothes. Indian clothes are still valued but are now in more trendy and fashionable styles.

There is no single language that is spoken all over India; however , Hindi is one common language most Indians know and can speak or understand. Every region has a different language or dialect. As per the official language act, Hindi and English are the official languages in India. Other regions or state wise languages include- Gujarati, Marathi, Bangla, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Kashmiri, Punjabi etc.

FAQs on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

1. What are the Popular Spices in India?

Popular spices in India include - Haldi(Turmeric), Chakri Phool(Star Anise), Til (Sesame seeds/ Gingili seeds), Saunf(Fennel Seeds), Kesar(Saffron), Laal Mirch(Red chilli), Khas(Poppy seeds), Jayphal(Nutmeg), Kalonji(Nigella Seeds), Rai/Sarson(Mustard Seeds), Pudina(Mint), Javitri(Mace), Patthar ke Phool(Kalpasi), Kala Namak/ Sanchal/ Sanchar powder(Black salt/ Himalayan rock salt/ Pink salt), Sonth(Dry ginger powder), Methi dana(Fenugreek seeds), Suva Bhaji/ Sua Saag(Dill)

Kadi Patta(Curry Leaves), Sukha dhania(Coriander seeds), Laung(Cloves), Dalchini(Cinnamon), Sabza(Chia seeds), Chironji(Charoli), Ajwain(Carom seeds, thymol or celery seeds), Elaichi(Cardamom), Kali Mirch(Black Pepper (or White Pepper), Tej Patta(Bay Leaf), Hing(Asafoetida), Anardana(Pomegranate seeds), Amchoor(Dry mango powder)

2. What is the Language Diversity Available in India?

The Indian constitution has 22 officially recognized languages. Apart from it, there are around 60 languages that are recognized as smother tongue with more than one million speakers. India also has around 28 minor languages spoken by over one hundred thousand and one million people. Apart from these, there are numerous dialects spoken by a various sect of people based on their region of origin.

3. Who are Some of the Most Famous Indian Celebrities Popular Across the Globe?

India has people excelling in all aspects of art and activities. Few prominent celebrities to garner global fame include - Sudha Murthy, Amitabh Bacchan, Virat Kohli, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Priyanka Chopra, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohanlal, A R Rehman, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Narayana Murthy, Kiran Majumdar Shah, Narendra Modi, Amith Shah. all these people have received great accolades in their respective area of expertise globally and getting recognition to India on a global level.

4. How to Improve Writing and Reading Skills for Producing Good Essays?

Writing an essay becomes a tedious task when the mind and hand do not coordinate. It is important for you to be able to harness your mental ability to think clearly and reproduce the same on paper for a good essay. Always remember the first few thoughts that you get as soon as you see an essay topic is your best and purest thoughts. Ensure to note them down. Later you can develop your essay around these points. Make sure your essay has an introduction, body and the final conclusion. This will make the reader understand the topic clearly along with your ability to convey the any information without any hesitation or mistake.

5. How many religions are there in India?

As of now, there are a total of 9 major religions in India with Hinduism being the majority. The remaining religion includes- Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Baha'i Faith.

6. Which is the oldest language in India?

Indian classical oldest language is Sanskrit, it belongs to the Indo- Aryan branch of Indo- European languages.

7. What are the few famous folk dances of India?

Folk dances are the representation of a particular culture from where they are known to originate. Eight famous classical dances are- Bharatnatyam from Tamil Nadu, Kathakali from Kerala, Kathak from North, West and Central India, Mohiniyattam from Kerala, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, Odissi from Odisha, Manipuri from Manipur, Sattriya from Assam.

8. How many languages are spoken in India?

Other than Hindi and English there are 22 languages recognised by the constitution of India. However, more than 400 languages and dialects in India are still not known as they change after every town. Over the years, about 190 languages have become endangered due to very few surviving speakers.

9. Describe the Indian Culture.

Indian culture is very diverse and the people of India are very warm and welcoming. They have a strong sense of family and firmly believe in unity in diversity. In India, there's a saying saying 'Atithi Devo Bhava' means 'the guest is equivalent to god'. So if one visits India, they will never feel unwanted.

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Indian Traditional Food

The traditional food of India has been widely appreciated for its fabulous use of herbs and spices. Indian cuisine is known for its large assortment of dishes, and the cooking style varies from region to region. India is quite famous for its diverse multi-cuisine, available in a large number of restaurants and hotel resorts, which is reminiscent of unity in diversity. The staple food in India includes wheat, rice, and pulses, with chana (Bengal Gram) being the most important one. To know more about Indian traditional food, read on.

Indian cuisine is characterized by the use of various spices, herbs, and vegetables, and sometimes fruits grown in India, as well as the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society. Each family of Indian cuisine includes a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse Indian subcontinent. India’s religious beliefs and culture have played an influential role in the evolution of its cuisine. However, cuisine across India also evolved as a result of the subcontinent’s large-scale cultural interactions with ancient Greece, Persia, the Mongols, and West Asia, making it a unique blend of various cuisines. The spice trade between India and Europe is often cited as the main catalyst for Europe’s Age of Discovery. The colonial period introduced European cooking styles to India, adding to the flexibility and diversity of Indian cuisine. Indian cuisine has influenced cuisines across the world, especially those from Southeast Asia.

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Maharashtrian (or Marathi) cuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people, those from the state of Maharashtra in India. Maharashtrian cuisine covers a range from mild to very spicy dishes. Wheat, rice, jowar, vegetables, lentils, and fruit form important components of the Maharashtrian diet. Popular dishes include puran poli, ukdiche Modak, and batata wada. The staple dishes of Maharashtrian cuisine are based on bread and rice: Ghadichi Poli or chapati, an unleavened flatbread made of wheat, is more common in urban areas, while Bhakri, a bread made from millets like jowar and bajra, forms part of daily food in rural areas. The bhaaji is a vegetarian dish made from a vegetable, with Goda masala essentially consisting of some combination of onion, garlic, ginger, red chili powder, green chilies, and mustard. A particular variant of bhaaji is the rassa. Vegetarians prepare rassa or curry of potatoes and/or cauliflower with tomatoes or fresh coconut kernel and plenty of water to produce a more fluid behavior than bhaaji. Varan is nothing but plain dal, a common Indian lentil stew.

Aamti is a variant of the curry, typically consisting of a lentil (tur) stock flavored with goda masala, tamarind or amshul, jaggery (gul), and in some cases, coconut as well. One of the masalas that give Maharashtrian cuisine its authentic flavor is the goda (sweet) masala or kalaa (black) masala. Non-vegetarian dishes mainly use chicken, mutton (mainly goat), fish, and other seafood. The Kolhapuri taambda rassa (red curry) and pandhra rassa (white curry) of chicken and mutton from the southern city of Kolhapur and the varhadi rassa or (varhadi chicken curry) from the Vidarbha region are especially well-known throughout Maharashtra.

The coastal regions of Konkan are more famous for fish and seafood dishes. A typical lunch or dinner usually starts with Poli (bread), accompanied by one or more bhaaji(s) (vegetable) and a koshimbir (salad), along with some side dishes (usually pickles). This is usually followed by a second course of varan, aamti or rassa with rice. As with most of Indian cuisine, however, each region has its own quirks, preferences, and variations of the above general format. Koshimbir is a very common and healthy addition to the plate, typically made from raw vegetables mixed with yogurt and ground roasted peanuts, Danyache Kut.

Raitas made with different types of vegetables such as cucumber or carrots are variants of koshimbir. The plate (thali) served has a specific place for each food item served. The bhaaji is served on the right-hand side of the plate, while the chutney and koshimbir are served from left going up the periphery of the circular plate. The papad and bhaji are served below the koshimbir, with the rice and poli served at the bottom of the circle, closest to the diner’s hand. The puran is served at the top in the inner concentric circle. The amti and rassa are served in separate bowls placed on the right-hand side of the diner.

Water is placed on the left-hand side. It is considered ill-mannered to use the left hand while eating Gujarati Food. The traditional Gujarati food is primarily vegetarian and has a high nutritional value. The typical Gujarati thali consists of varied kinds of lip-smacking dishes. Gujarati cuisine has so much to offer, and each dish has an absolutely different cooking style. Some of the dishes are stir-fried, while others are boiled. Gujarati food is more often served on a silver platter. Gujaratis use a combination of different spices and flavors to cook their meals, and this is what makes their food truly exotic.

The traditional Gujarati thali mostly encompasses rotli, dal or kadhi, sabzi also known as shaak, and rice. People in Gujarat eat one or the other type of curry along with rice and roti in almost every meal. Gujarati dishes usually have a very subtle taste that makes them truly distinct from other Indian cuisines. A lot of emphasis is laid on maintaining hygiene while cooking. Most of the Gujarati dishes are sweet, while others have a higher concentration of sugar compared to salt and spices. Sometimes, jaggery is used as an alternative to sugar. Gujarati food is highly energy efficient and does not cause much fuel wastage.

The staple food of Gujarat consists of homemade pickles, chhaas (buttermilk), salad, etc. The main course includes vegetables that are usually steamed and dal. Vaghaar is a blend of spices that is purified in hot oil and then added to the dal. To prevent the body from becoming dehydrated, a lot of salt, sugar, tomato, and lemon are used. Gujarati cuisine differs from season to season depending on the availability of vegetables. People in urban areas are starting some new eating trends. In the summer season, spices such as black pepper and its constituent spices are used in lesser quantities.

People fast on a regular basis and limit their diet to milk, nuts, and dried fruits. In the modern era, more and more youngsters have started developing a taste for oily, spicy food. Even modern chefs are coming up with a fusion food concept by combining Gujarati food and Western food. Desserts, which were in ancient times offered only on festivities or some special occasions, have now found their way into daily meals.

Popular Gujarati Dishes:

Ghari Ghebar or Ghevar
Keri no ras

Diwali Special Snacks:

Mathia Soonvali Farsan (Snacks):

Daal Dhokli
Farsi Falafel
Khaman Dhokla
Lilva Kachori
Sev Khamani

Shaak and Daal: Vegetables and Curries:

Meethi (Sweet) Kadhi
Sev Tameta nu Shak
Bajri no rotlo

Bengali Food:

Bengali cuisine is appreciated for its fabulous use of panchphoron, a term used to refer to the five essential spices, namely mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed, and black cumin seed. The specialty of Bengali food lies in the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors.

For Bengalis, food is one of the most essential aspects of their day-to-day lives. Ladies spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking delicious feasts for the family. The staple food of people in Bengal is rice and fish. A typical Bengali needs to have fish in every meal; otherwise, there is a feeling that the meal is incomplete. There is ample stock of fish in every household because fish is cooked frequently, almost on a daily basis. Even Brahmin Bengalis relish fish. Fish is a part of every festivity celebration. To lend a distinctive flavor to the fish, it is deep-fried in mustard oil and then cooked in gravy.

Most of the cooking is done using mustard oil. Traditional Bengali food always ends up with mishti and sweet curd. Bengali food is famous for its mithais (sweets). The origin of typical Bengali sweets can be traced back to traditional household kitchens. The most popular Bengali mithai is rasogolla, which is enjoyed by people all over the country. When it comes to cooking fish, there are unlimited options. You can either fry or cook it with gravy. Some Bengalis prefer eating steamed fish to avoid the intake of extra calories. Another great option is to saute the fish with curd.

The fish market in Bengal is always stocked with a wide variety of fish, the popular ones being salmon, hilsa, bhekti, magur, carp, rui, and prawns. To fully relish their meal, Bengalis eat the food with their fingers. It is indeed quite challenging to find authentic Bengali dishes outside the Bengali kitchen.

Popular Bengali Sweets:

Popular Bengali Snacks:

South Indian Food: The cuisine of South India is known for its light, low-calorie appetizing dishes. The traditional food of South India is mainly rice-based. The cuisine is famous for its wonderful mixing of rice and lentils to prepare yummy lip-smacking dosas, vadas, idlis, and uttapams. South Indian dishes are not just delicious but also very easily digestible. The best part is that South Indians do not use much oil for cooking their meals. Sambar is a must in the main course. It usually accompanies most of the food items, be it idli, vada, or dosa. Most South Indian dishes consist of sambar, rasam, vegetable curry, and pachadi (yogurt). When it comes to rice preparations, South Indians are real experts.

Their lemon rice is savored and appreciated by almost all people. Other preparations of rice include coconut rice, carrot rice, and fried rice made by using coconut, curry leaves, urad dal, tamarind, peanuts, chilies, and fenugreek seeds. South Indian chutneys are well-liked by people. In fact, chutney, especially the one made from coconut, is the major attraction for many people to visit a restaurant that specializes in South Indian cuisine. The main ingredients for preparing varied chutneys are coconut, peanuts, dal, tamarind, fenugreek seeds, and cilantro.

Dals cooked in the South Indian style are also quite different from those of North Indian preparation. They are more soupy in comparison to the dals cooked in the North Indian style. The cuisine of South India is hotter than North Indian cuisine. South Indians do not make much use of garam masala and other dried spices. However, turmeric, black pepper, and cardamom are an exception. For the cuisine of South India, it can be said that it is a perfect blend of flavor, color, and taste and also takes care of the nutritional balance. Even the visual appeal of the South Indian dishes is quite alluring.

South Indians usually prefer drinking coffee after having their meals. Well, coffee has become a popular beverage in the entire country. Coconut milk is also quite common in South India. South Indian cuisine consists of the cuisine of four states, namely Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. All four cuisines have a lot of things in common; however, they differ in terms of the spice content in their food preparations.

Andhra Food: Andhra food is the spiciest and hottest of all the South Indian cuisines. There is a liberal use of oil, tamarind, and chili powder (Guntur).

An interesting thing is that although Hyderabad is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, its cuisine is absolutely distinct from that of Andhra cuisine. Popular Vegetarian Foods include Pesarattu, Gongura, Pulihora, and Avakkai (cut raw mango) pickle, while popular Non-vegetarian Foods include Kodi iguru (fry), Kodi pulusu (gravy), Chepa pulusu, and more.

In Karnataka, lunch is mostly served on a plantain leaf. There is a higher percentage of vegetarians in Karnataka, so their cuisine mainly consists of vegetarian dishes. The food of Karnataka is the mildest of all, and the use of chilli powder is done sparingly. They make liberal use of palm sugar or brown sugar. Udupi food forms part of the cuisine of Karnataka. Popular dishes include Ragi rotti, Akki rotti, Khara Bisi bele bath, Kesari Bath, Vangi Bath, Saaru, Bath, Davanagere Benne Dosa, Ragi mudde, and Uppittu. In South Karnataka, Rava Idli, Mysore Masala Dosa, and Medhu Vada are extremely popular. Among the sweet dishes, Karnataka is well known for its wonderful preparation of Mysore Pak, Dharwad pedha, Pheni, and Chiroti.

Kerala cuisine mainly consists of coconut-based foodstuff since Kerala is the chief exporter of coconut. Therefore, coconut is used liberally in their cooking. Kerala is a place well known for its beautiful backwaters and is thus a paradise for seafood lovers. There is an abundance of seafood specialties. Popular Vegetarian Foods include Aviyal and olan, while popular Non-vegetarian Foods include Shrimp coconut curry and fish poriyal.

The cuisine of Tamilnadu consists of plenty of mouthwatering vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Tamilnadu has a lot to offer when it comes to food. Popular Vegetarian Foods include Idli, sambar, rasam, vada, thayir sadam (yogurt rice), thayir vadai, murukku, kootu, poriyal, uthappam, appalam, papadum, and thayir pachadi, while popular Non-vegetarian Foods include Chettinad pepper chicken and karuvadu kozhumu (dried preserved fish-flavored curry).

Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home-cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant-style using large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream, while home-cooked food mainly focuses on preparations with whole wheat, rice, and other ingredients flavored with masalas (spices).

Popular Non-vegetarian Food: Chettinad pepper chicken and karuvadu kozhumu (dried preserved fish flavored curry). Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home-cooked and restaurant-style Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with the restaurant style using large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as ghee, along with liberal amounts of butter and cream. Home-cooked cuisine focuses mainly on preparations with whole wheat, rice, and other ingredients flavored with masalas (spices).

Roh Di Kheer is cooked using rice, which is cooked for a long time in sugarcane juice. Within the area itself, there are different preferences. People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is well known for the quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes exclusive to Punjab, such as Mah Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag). The food is tailor-made for the Punjabi lifestyle in which most of the rural folk burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields.

The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic, and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi specialty, especially for non-veg dishes. Many of the most popular elements of Anglo-Indian cuisine – such as Tandoor, Naan, Pakoras, and vegetable dishes with paneer – derive from the Punjab. Typical non-vegetarian dishes include:

Chicken: Tandoori chicken, butter chicken, chicken tikka, etc.
Lamb: Rogan josh, bhuna ghosht, kadhai ghost, raan gosht, dal gosht, saag gosht, nihari gosht, rara gosht, paye da shorba, etc.
Beef: Nihari beef, beef pasanda, kadhai beef, etc. (especially popular in West Punjab).
Fish: These are all freshwater fish dishes like Amritsari fish, tandoori fish, fish tikka, fish pakora, etc.
Kebabs: Various lamb, chicken, and beef kebabs.
Biryanis: Chicken biryani and lamb biryani.
Keema Naans: Chicken mince and lamb mince stuffed naans.
Pickles: Lamb pickle and vegetable pickle.

Vegetarian pulse, bean, and/or lentil preparations:

Sarron Da Saag (a dish prepared from green mustard leaves and stem) with Makki Roti (bread made from flour of corn).
Mushroom & Beans Sabzi
Dal Makhani/Dal Handi: Pulses with butter.
Rajma (red kidney bean) and rice.
Dal Amritsari.
Rongi (black-eyed bean).
Choley (eaten with Naan or Kulcha).
Punj Ratani Dal: A 5-lentil dish; the lentils are soaked for at least 8 hours and then cooked in a tandoor along with ginger, garlic, garam masala, tomato, or dried mango.

Other vegetarian dishes:

Kadhi Pakora (traditional curry with pakoras) and rice. Kadhi (curry) is made by cooking gram flour with curd or buttermilk. Fried lumps (pakoras) of gram flour with salt and chillies are also added.

It is eaten with rice.

Kadhai Paneer
Shahi Paneer Cheese is prepared in water with spices.
Sheer korma (also called Seviyan)

Rajasthani Food

The cuisine of Rajasthan is primarily vegetarian and offers a fabulous variety of mouth-watering dishes. The spice content is quite high in comparison to other Indian cuisines, but the food is absolutely scrumptious. Rajasthanis use ghee for cooking most of the dishes. Rajasthani food is well-known for its spicy curries and delicious sweets.

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New To Indian Cooking? These Are The Chef-Approved Spices To Stock Up On

Indian cooking is one of the most vibrant and influential cuisines in the world, beloved not just in South Asia but the world over for its rich flavors, regional diversity, and the spices it has introduced to the world. Like any cuisine of such depth and breadth, it can be extremely intimidating to people from outside the culture who are trying to learn how to cook it. Even popular Indian dishes that are more familiar to Westerners, like chana masala or vindaloo, are packed with complex spice mixtures that make it hard for newcomers to understand what each one is contributing. But you need to start somewhere, and there are plenty of spices used in Indian cooking that you can easily get in most supermarkets that will help introduce you to the delicious possibilities of the cuisine. So Tasting Table reached out to an expert, celebrity chef Varun Inamdar , to ask which are the best spices for an amateur to stock up on.

Inamdar provided us with a list of 10 spices to have on hand for basic Indian recipes, and gave us some advice on what dishes they are most useful in. Almost all of these are familiar and easy-to-find yet essential ingredients for Indian cooking , and they'll ease you into the kinds of flavors familiar to South Asia. You'll also come to quickly see how much Indian ingredients have influenced cooking around the world in the process.

Mustard seeds

Mustard in all its forms is one of the most popular flavors in the world, but for Indian cooking it's not the condiment, or even usually the powder you're dealing with, but whole mustard seeds themselves. Varun Inamdar tells us that mustard seeds are used "for tempering lentils, some vegetables, rice preparations, chutneys, and raita." Mustard seeds come in three common styles of decreasing pungency in Indian cooking — black, brown, and white — but black is the most commonly used and the one you should start with. They bring that classic peppery zing to a dish, and when cooked whole they also add a nice crunchy texture.

As Inamdar says, mustard seeds are popular for tempering, which is an Indian cooking method for spices that is also known as tadka in recipes. For the tempering process spices like black mustard seeds are fried in hot oil, and then both the flavor-infused oil and spices are added to dishes like raita, a yogurt-based condiment. The mustard oil is also used directly as a cooking oil and can be drizzled over vegetables, like the potato and cauliflower dish aloo gobi . Mustard seeds are essential for many Indian salad dressings, and like in the U.S., are popular for flavoring pickled vegetables. If mustard is ground up it's usually as a supporting player in regional spice blends like panch phoron from Eastern India and Bangladesh.

Cumin seeds

Another well-known ingredient used around the world, cumin seeds are also associated with Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking, but are perhaps the most popular spice in India where it has been used since ancient times.

Inamdar explains that, like mustard seeds, cumin seeds are excellent for tempering with oil and being added to dishes. In fact, they are frequently combined with mustard seeds for a lovely peppery, earthy flavor combo. He adds that this roasted combination is a favorite for chaats and buttermilk. Cumin has a familiar warm spice flavor with a little bitterness.

Tempered cumin seeds are used in vegetable and rice dishes much like mustard seeds. Also called "jeera," there are several popular namesake recipes that use cumin, such as jeera aloo (cumin potatoes) and jeera rice. As a ground spice it's one of the essential bases of many masala pastes, including garam masala, which means cumin seeds are a big part of most of your favorite curries. The chaats that Inamdar refers to are a whole category of Indian snack dishes and street foods. Chaats are incredibly diverse — using bases like crushed samosas, puffed rice, or fried potatoes — and a pungent sour and umami spice mix called chaat masala is a very common flavoring that uses cumin as a central ingredient.

Turmeric powder

Turmeric powder is the dried form of a root that is related to ginger and originates in India and Southeast Asia. As Inamdar says, "The world associates Indian cuisines with turmeric the most." However, it's not quite as ubiquitous as Western menus may have you think. Turmeric is a very powerful flavor; it's bitter and has a damp, earthy aroma to it, which can overwhelm dishes when too much is used. "We use it in moderation and never by the heaps as popularly shown in many food shows," the chef advises.

The popularity of turmeric may have grown in Western cooking recently due to its supposed anti-inflammatory properties, but in India it's a supporting player in masala spice mixes, not the primary focus of a dish. That said, its versatility means it shows up in many popular Indian meals. It's a key component in mixes like sambhar masala, which is used for a spicy vegetable stew, and tandoori masala, used for the well-known tandoori chicken and butter chicken , known as chicken makhani. Turmeric's association with Indian cooking also means it is used in Indian-inspired Western dishes like chicken tikka masala and ingredients like curry powder.

Inamdar explains that dried red chiles are used "whole and powdered for some heat and coloration." Despite originating in the Americas, India is now one of the world's largest consumers of red chiles, which are grown in hundreds of different varieties. While that level of diversity may seem overwhelming, there are a few popular styles that are most widely used. Kashmiri chiles, also called Kashmiri mirchi after the Indian word for chiles, are widely used, as is deghi mirchi, which blends dried Kashmiri chiles with other red peppers.

Some Indian peppers (like dhani mirchi, a variation on the bird's eye chile) are extremely hot; yet the most common powders are more mild — hitting the 1,000 to 2,000 range of the spice-measuring Scoville scale . In both flavor and heat these red chile powders are similar to paprika, imparting some spice and smokiness to dishes, in addition to the vibrant red color.

Red chiles are widely used in a huge variety of Indian recipes, but one of the most well-known dishes outside the country would be vindaloo. Chile powders are used as rubs on grilled and roasted meat, and are another essential part of tandoori dishes. You'll find Indian red chiles in stews, curries, and sauces, and they're even used as fillings and flavorings for baked goods like the Indian flatbread paratha. If you can't find these exact chiles and powders, Mexican pasilla chiles are a good substitute.

Garam masala

Perhaps the best known masala spice mix in the U.S., garam masala is widely available in most grocery stores. As Inamdar tells us, the spices used can be "whole and powdered, which may include the likes of black pepper corn, cloves , cinnamon sticks, Indian bay leaf, mace, nutmeg, green cardamom, and black cardamom." Garam masala comes in both powder and paste form, with powder being more used in northern India, and paste in the south.

Garam masala has lots of variations that can change by region and even family, but the name itself is a hint to its most essential flavors. The term in Hindi means "warm spices," but not warm as in fiery. Garam masala can be hot, but it's primarily earthy and a little sweet with a blend of cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, and mace as the central focus. If you make your own garam masala it's important to toast the spices whole before you grind them, which imparts smoky notes into the blend.

As with other Indian masalas, garam masala is used in stews, braises, and curries, or as a rub on meat and fish. Because of its widespread popularity, and the fact that it often gets combined with other spices, many common Indian dishes you might recognize use it, for example, butter chicken and the chickpea stew chana masala . The rice dish biryani, potato dish aloo gobi, and paneer curry frequently incorporate garam masala.

Coriander seeds

Coriander seeds are actually the dried fruit of the cilantro plant, and have become one of the most popular spices worldwide. Coriander is part of the same family that includes cumin, a flavor it's often paired with. According to Varun Inamdar, Indian cuisine uses coriander "for the citrusy earthy notes." While many spices used in Indian masalas and dishes are warming or even hot, coriander brings a nice brightness and a floral flavor that helps round out recipes. While other spices like turmeric may be more associated with Indian cooking, coriander is a real workhorse and may be the most used individual spice in the country.

More so than with almost any other ground spice, if you're making an India masala, you're almost certainly using coriander. Garam masala, tandoori, and biryani masala all used coriander. It's also used in chana masala and the chaat masala for Indian street food. It will show up in many popular types of curry like madras and vindaloo. If you plan on making your own masala mixes from scratch, coriander is truly essential, and the seeds should be toasted before you grind them.

Fenugreek seeds

Fenugreek seeds may be lesser known to people starting out with Indian cooking, but if you've ever made some curry and wondered why it didn't taste quite like the one from your favorite Indian restaurant, fenugreek is probably the answer. Inamdar says that fenugreek seeds are "for that clearly identifiable bitter bite in chutneys, jams, curries, and pickles." Fenugreek is a plant used in both Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines that is related to chickpeas and peanuts. While both the leaves and seeds are edible, it's the brown pebbly seeds that are most used in Indian cooking. The taste of fenugreek is incredibly distinct, having a mix of strong bitterness and sweetness. The sweet aspect of fenugreek is commonly compared to maple syrup, especially once it starts to cook. If you want to cut down on the bitterness, the hard seeds can be soaked before being used.

The first place you'll want to add fenugreek seeds is in your garam masala or other masala mixtures. It's likely the secret ingredient that will finally make it pop the way you want. Because of its sweetness fenugreek is used to balance out mild earthy ingredients like potatoes and lentils, or to temper spicy curry dishes. It gets used in paneer curries, and makes a great addition to give depth to chutneys, pickles, and marinades. Just make sure to start small when adding fenugreek seeds to Indian recipes, as the flavor can be overwhelming.

Ginger powder

Ginger is a prominent flavor in Indian cooking, often used in paste form either by itself or mixed into a garlic-ginger paste. However, powdered ginger can be substituted for fresh to lend a warmer, softer flavor to Indian dishes; there are even traditional dishes where powder is the preferred form. Chef Inamdar notes that along with fennel, ginger powder is particularly used in Kashmir, the mountainous northern region that has been heavily influenced by neighboring regions in Central Asia. Unlike the bright and spicy flavor that fresh ginger brings, ginger powder will be richer, with a sweet fruity flavor, while still maintaining a mild peppery bite.

Ginger powder is added to most Kashmiri versions of classic Indian dishes, like paneer masala, along with recipes more directly associated with Kashmir, like the goat curry rogan josh. It's also used in unique dishes like nadur yakhean, which is lotus root in a yogurt curry, or substituted for fresh ginger in recipes like the north Indian curry dum aloo and rista, a meatball dish in gravy. Finally, you'll use ginger powder with many other Indian ingredients on this list in a variety of masala spice mixes like chaat and tandoori.

Fennel powder

As Inamdar explains, fennel powder is the other ingredient besides ginger powder that makes Kashmiri-style cuisine unique. Ground from whole fennel seeds, fennel powder has the same anise/licorice flavor associated with the seeds. It's a mildly sweet flavor, especially when toasted and ground, and can be used to balance out more spicy flavors in dishes like curry. Beyond their use as a flavoring agent, fennel seeds and powder have long been celebrated in India for their medicinal properties, where they are believed to be beneficial for digestion. Candy-coated fennel seeds are a popular after-dinner snack , similar to a mint.

Because fennel is paired with ground ginger, it gets used in many of the same recipes like rogan josh and dum aloo. However, it is still used as an addition in spice mixes around the country, like the southern Indian chettinad masala, madras curry, and some versions of biryani. Fennel's flavor profile pairs well with meats, but it's popular in Indian desserts too; it can even be used as a flavoring in drinks like chai.

Saffron doesn't need much introduction, but Inamdar wants to emphasize that, "Yes, it is a spice and a sweet and fragrant one at that." Most people in the U.S. know saffron for being the most expensive spice by weight in the world. It comes from the saffron crocus, which originated in the Mediterranean, but is now cultivated widely in India as well. Saffron is made from the stigma of the flower, and is so expensive because it has to be hand-picked in a very labor-intensive process that can only happen during a brief window when the flower is open. Saffron has a unique, complex, floral, and honeyed flavor. While it is expensive, it can be quite intense and thus is used in small quantities, making it worthwhile to invest in as part of your journey with Indian cooking.

Inamdar mentions that saffron is "best for curries, rice, mithai, and desserts." Saffron is usually soaked in water or milk, which draws out the flavor and adds to the coloring potential of the spice. While saffron is used in plenty of dishes, its most famous role may be in biryani and other Indian rice dishes, where it gives those recipes their distinct yellow coloring. The mithai Inamdar refers to is a category of Indian sweets , and saffron is a popular dessert flavor. Small thumbprint cookies called peda are one popular example, and then there's rasmalai, a sweet cheese dish that uses saffron-infused cream.

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Essay on Fit India for Students in 150 and 250 Words

Updated on
Jun 26, 2024

Essay on Fit India: On 29 August 2019, the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Fit India Movement to make fitness an integral part of our lifestyle. This flagship scheme aims to make Indians more active and conscious about their physical health by indulging in physical activities. It has been almost 5 years since the launch of this movement and has successfully inspired millions of people to follow a healthy lifestyle. Today, we will discuss sample essays on Fit India and will try to cover all the dimensions of this national movement.

Table of Contents

1 Essay on Fit India in 150 Words
2 Essay on Fit India in 250 Words
3 The Objective of Fit India

Essay on Fit India in 150 Words

The Fit India Movement, launched by the Government of India, aims to inspire citizens to lead physically active and healthy lives. Inaugurated on National Sports Day, August 29th, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, the event featured performances of martial arts, cultural dances, and yoga sessions. The movement addresses health issues arising from sedentary lifestyles, such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, by promoting regular physical activity.
Prime Minister Modi emphasized that fitness has always been integral to India’s culture, yet modern lifestyles have led to increased health problems. He encouraged incorporating yoga into daily routines and highlighted the role of young sports personalities in representing a fit and confident India.
A committee led by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju is tasked with advancing the movement. The Fit India Movement calls for regular exercise, recreational sports, and yoga to foster a healthier, more active nation.

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Essay on Fit India in 250 Words

The Fit India Movement, launched by the Government of India, is a public initiative aimed at encouraging citizens to adopt a more physically active and healthy lifestyle. Conceptualized to address the rising health issues caused by a sedentary lifestyle, the movement was inaugurated on National Sports Day, August 29th, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. The event featured a large gathering of politicians, bureaucrats, sports personalities, and the general public, and included performances of India’s native martial arts, cultural dances, and yoga sessions.

Prime Minister Modi emphasized that fitness has always been integral to India’s culture, but has been neglected in recent times, leading to an increase in lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. He highlighted that regular physical activity, including sports and walking, can help prevent these diseases and promote overall well-being. Modi also stressed the importance of incorporating yoga into daily routines due to its numerous physical benefits.

The movement was widely broadcast, reaching many schools and colleges, and resonated with the message that technology has made people lazy and physically inactive. Modi pointed out that successful individuals are often those who maintain a high level of physical fitness, and he thanked the young sports personalities of India for setting an example for the nation.

To ensure the movement’s success, a committee headed by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has been formed. This 28-member committee includes representatives from various departments, National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, private bodies, and fitness promoters. Rijiju expressed confidence in advancing the movement with the support of fellow Indians.

The Fit India Movement encourages people to exercise regularly, engage in recreational sports, and practice yoga to stay fit and healthy. By promoting an active lifestyle, the movement aims to create a healthier and more confident India, free from the ailments of a sedentary lifestyle.

Quick Read: Essay Topics for in English

The Objective of Fit India

Enhance National Health: Promote a healthier lifestyle across the nation.
Encourage Physical Activity: Inspire people to engage in regular exercise, such as yoga and walking.
Promote Sports: Instill the habit of playing sports among all age groups.
Nationwide Reach: Ensure the campaign reaches people all over the country.
Inclusivity: Provide suitable fitness activities for people of all ages and abilities.
Affordability: Make fitness activities accessible to everyone.
Cultural Integration: Reinforce fitness as an integral part of India’s culture.
Sustainable Habits: Encourage the development of long-term healthy living habits.

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A.1 The Fit India Movement is a campaign launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage Indians to become more active and healthy. The campaign focuses on promoting fitness and healthy living habits and encourages people to get involved.

A.2 The Fit India Movement was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2019 to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The movement has since gained immense popularity across India, with a variety of initiatives and programs being rolled out to promote physical activity and healthy habits.

A.3 Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the “Fit India Movement” on 29th August 2019 to make physical fitness a way of life. Fit India Movement aims at behavioural changes- from a sedentary lifestyle to a physically active way of day-to-day living.

Aayushi Vardhan

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This 10-year-old 'rock goddess' on 'AGT' will blow your mind with her incredible guitar performance

Maya Neelakantan on "America's Got Talent."

“America’s Got Talent” might’ve just discovered the next “rock goddess” in the making — and she was only 10 years old at the time of her audition.

On the June 25 episode of the NBC competition series, Maya Neelakantan — who traveled all the way from India for her audition — walked onto the stage with her guitar and began casually strumming the opening chords of Papa Roach’s “Last Resort.”

As she played, she coyly smiled at the crowd and judges, who waited to see what she did next.

She started headbanging before fully showing off her impressive skills on the guitar. She nailed the rock band’s beloved hit as the judges stared in awe.

Backstage, Neelakantan’s family stood beside host Terry Crews and cheered her on.

The crowd erupted into a roaring applause as she completed the difficult rock solo. All four judges — Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel — also stood up and clapped for Neelakantan.

“Maya, are you sure you’re 10 years old?” Vergara asked.

The preteen sweetly replied, “I think so!”

Vergara complimented Neelakantan’s energy and confidence on the stage. She labeled it a “perfect audition.”

Mandel asked Neelakantan to share some of her inspirations. The rising star said some of her favorite guitarists that she watches on YouTube are Adam Jones from Tool and Gary Holt of Exodus and Slayer.

“I think that you are absolutely incredible,” Klum praised. “Also that you are that gutsy. Everyone in this room really loved what you just did. You should be very, very proud of yourself.”

When it was time for the show’s toughest critic, Cowell, to weigh in, he recalled trying to learn how to play guitar at around 10 years old.

He noted that it is “one of the most difficult instruments in the world” and that his teacher “gave up” on him.

The music exec said he loved that Neelakantan’s audition was unexpected and that she transformed onstage.

“You were so shy and you’re 10! And then you turned into, like, this rock goddess,” he said.

Cowell predicted Neelakantan has a long career in music ahead of her.

All four judges gave Neelakantan a quick “yes,” meaning she gets to move on to the next round.

Fans in the comments further complimented the music prodigy.

“Wow a ten year old Instrumentalist. She is a rockstar already. She looks like a Indian Goddess, Brave and Beautiful,” one said.

Another wrote, “I have seen some of the greatest rock guitarists live over the 50 years. You young lady will one day be among them! Rock on!!! The hall of fame awaits.”

A third said, “10 years old and her personality is WOW! Genius! Genius! Genius!”

Even Papa Roach chimed in on the show's Instagram post celebrating Neelakantan’s audition, writing, "Let’s gooo!!🤘🪳 absolutely killed it Maya!"

Neelakantan, who has a YouTube pag e that indicates she's now actually 11 years old, also reacted to her overwhelming support.

“Wow!! What an honor for this early release and also what an honor that I got to play for the first time on stage and it’s on America’s Got Talent!” she cheered in the comments.

She added, “Thank you for creating an unforgettable memory for me!!” with a smiley face, heart and “rock on” emoji.

Ariana Brockington is a trending news reporter at TODAY digital. She is based in Los Angeles.

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2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrates Indigenous cultures in DC

by Leila Cox

With the Capitol in the background, visitor to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival walk on The National Mall in Washington, Friday, June 30, 2006.(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

WASHINGTON (7News) — Looking for something fun and educational to do? The Smithsonian Folklife Festival kicks off Wednesday, June 26 at the National Mall.

This year's theme is "Indigenous Voices of the Americas" celebrating the National Museum of the American Indian. The festival aims to promote Indigenous cultures and values through a variety of free activities.

Indigenous artists and makers, professional chefs and home cooks, musicians, dancers, athletes and storytellers will demonstrate the depth of multigenerational traditions with performances, workshops and discussion sessions.

In September 2004, the Smithsonian marked the grand opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washinton, D.C. 20 years later, this six-day event is still the largest gathering of Indigenous people that has ever occurred on the National Mall.

READ MORE | Globetrotting sailors depart DC for final leg of the Clipper Race with firework fanfare

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, established in 1967, honors contemporary living and cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them.

All visitors are encouraged to sing, dance, try crafts and games, learn traditional recipes, ask questions and take part in a unique cultural exchange. Festival programming will highlight four primary themes: Relevance, Resistance, Representation and Reclamation.

Join representatives from the Smithsonian, the National Park Service, and the Indigenous Voices of the Americas program in officially opening the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on Wednesday, June 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Rasmuson Theater.

Following the ceremony there will be free festivities until 5 p.m. Find more information HERE.

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Southwest Michigan tribe hosts annual Pow Wow to celebrate culture, honor ancestors

Updated: Jun. 26, 2024, 8:07 a.m. |
Published: Jun. 24, 2024, 1:28 p.m.

Devin Anderson-Torrez | [email protected]

FULTON, MI –– Hundreds gathered on the Pow Wow grounds of the Pine Creek Indian Reservation on Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23.

The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi’s annual Pow Wow was a public event that brought visitors from all over the country to celebrate Native culture. The event, in Fulton, is about 15 miles south of Battle Creek.

Vendors circled the ground and sold a wide variety of items including traditional Native clothing and antique art, sweatshirts, hats, turquoise jewelry and more.

Rose’s, a food stand in its 90th year, attended the event with its famous, award-winning fry bread –– a staple of Indian Country.

The stand, like the recipes within, have been passed down generation to generation.

Thomas Marshall makes fry bread dough for Rose’s food stand at the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi’s annual Pow Wow on June 23, 2024, on the Pine Creek Indian Reservation in Fulton, Michigan. Marshall is an eight time champion fry bread maker –– Marshall has been making the dough for 40 years. Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com

Thomas Marshall, who works tirelessly on fry bread dough about a stones throw from the stand, has helped run it for 30 years.

He inherited the stand from his mother-in-law and will pass it down to his family, who already helps him run it.

“Everyone looks for Rose’s sign,” Marshall said.

Along with the fry bread, the stand sold Indian tacos, Indian Burgers, chili and wild rice.

Sunday’s event was kicked off with a grand entry, which honored Native veterans past and present. After that, hours of dancing commenced.

Native military veterans are honored at the start of the Grand Entry during the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi’s annual Pow Wow on June 23, 2024, on the Pine Creek Indian Reservation in Fulton, Michigan. Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com

Music was performed by drummer groups including: Warpaint, Ribbon Town, Straight Eight, Fire Nation, Sharp Arrow and Black River.

Several of the groups traveled from out of state to play their music. Warpaint, performers of the Tuscarora and Catawba tribes, came from North Carolina.

Winners were selected in the competitive dance by NHBP dance leaders.

In the team dance, Darrel Delabreau and his son, Francis, won first place in the competition after three rounds.

Based in Wisconsin as members of the Menominee Nation, the Delabreau’s travel across the country every weekend, from pow wow to pow wow, performing.

“It means a lot to me, to be out here every weekend with my son by my side,” Darrel Delabreau said.

Miigwaans Smith and her brother, Zhaawon Smith, placed second.

Arthur Zapata, Motega Cotto and Armando Lucio won third place. The group stood out by wearing two Lions jerseys and a Bulls jersey, instead of traditional attire.

Darrel Delabreau and his son, Francis, perform at the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi’s annual Pow Wow on June 23, 2024, on the Pine Creek Indian Reservation in Fulton, Michigan. Delabreau and his son won first place in the team competition. Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com

The NHBP Pow Wow had two good weather days, though temperatures were hot on Saturday.

“The blessing of today, I think we understand what our ancestors went through. (They’ve) been very resilient. They did all that they could on the hot days and were rewarded on the not-so-hot days,” NHBP Tribal Council Secretary Nancy Smit said. “I want to take this time to thank each and every one of you that are here. ... These are my homelands and I hope you feel welcome.”

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free “ 3@3 Kalamazoo ” daily newsletter.

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UPSC Essays Simplified: Structure and Flow of a good essay– the third step

How to build a 'structure and flow' in a good essay our expert takes you through the third stage of writing an essay in upsc essentials' new series. don't miss the essay exercise towards the end of the article..

How to write essays for UPSC Civil Services Exams? This is one of the most popular questions among aspirants. In UPSC Essentials’ special series UPSC Essays Simplified , we take you through various steps of writing a good essay. While there is no set formula or fixed criteria prescribed, Manas Srivastava talks to Ravi Kapoor , our expert, in this new series who guides the aspirants with a simplified framework on how to write a good essay. Don’t miss ‘The Essay Exercise’ towards the end of the article.

Ravi Kapoor focuses on the following steps of pre-writing and writing stages which will help aspirants to write a ‘good essay’.

	)
	)

Today, we will focus on Step 3.

About our Expert: Ravi Kapoor IRS (R) , has now ditched his coveted rank of deputy commissioner and has offered free quality mentorship to UPSC aspirants, drawing upon his ten years of experience to create customised and productive curriculum. Through a free mentorship programme, he integrates tailored educational materials, psychological principles, visual learning techniques, and a strong emphasis on mental well-being into his teaching skills granting aspirants a chance to learn from his expertise.

How to have a ‘Structure and Flow’ in a good essay?

Everyone knows that an essay should be broken down into an introduction, body and conclusion. But what is written inside these 3 components and HOW it is written makes the difference between an essay fetching average or excellent scores.

Structuring and flow refer to the organisation of the essay and your ideas therein.

A good structure is a way of organising information that fits well with the essay topic and the ideas you wish to present in your arguments such that the reader can make sense of the entire write-up without much effort.

Good flow refers to how your arguments and counterarguments connect from one to another such that the reader finds it logically connected and easy to comprehend.

An essay without these elements will appear to be disorganized, jargoned, hard to comprehend and overall, complicated.

Contrary to popular belief, flow and structure are not subjective writing skills that are inborn in good writers but can be learned and improved upon. What follows is a series of structuring techniques that will help you choose the best one for any essay topic you may encounter.

What are different types of structures?

1. 2 side face-off:.

This is the oldest trick in the book. While writing the body of the essay, you divide it into arguments and counterarguments. In other words, you compare one side of the debate with the other.

For example:

“Thinking is like a game; it does not begin unless there is an opposite team”

The body of the essay can be divided into 2 parts- one agreeing with the statement and one disagreeing with it as follows:

Thinking is reciprocal as thought builds on other thoughts. The Socratic method, championed by Socrates, is a testament to this idea. Socrates would go around Athens spreading knowledge by asking questions and inciting dialogue which would lead the conversationist to the point of realization about something new and profound.

Similarly, when Einstein said he was standing on the shoulders of giants, he meant that his theory of relativity was built using many ideas developed by mathematicians and physicists who came before him.

The reciprocal nature of thought helps to improve it by allowing dissent and counterarguments much like a game of chess. An example is the Case study pioneered by Harvard Business School wherein one case is debated upon in detail considering various strategies before arriving at the optimal one.

While dissent and opposition can lead to many a good idea, there are more ways for thought to develop into ideas within human consciousness. Human cognition is too complex to be restricted to one mode of thinking. A Case in point is intuitive or creative thinking that can arise spontaneously without the interlocking of two human intelligences.

For instance, creative geniuses often hit upon their best ideas out of the blue in ‘Eureka’ moments that seem to arise from within the subconscious mind without the presence of an opponent.

Another example is ‘thought-experiments’ used by philosophers that are designed to be introspective exercises that one engages with, with oneself. Thought experiments are indispensable tools for philosophers and physicists to offer insight into a profound problem of logic and metaphysics.

2.Dimensional analysis:

It has become fashionable to break the essay topic into various dimensions such as Social, Cultural, Historical, Economic etc. But this is not a one-size-fits-all method and may or may not work with every essay topic.

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in the school…”

While this topic can be written about based on various dimensions such as economic, historical, social etc, it is not necessarily the best structure for it.

Instead, a better way to present the information in this essay topic would have a mix of chronology and analysis in the following way-

We are blank slates when we are born onto which society and culture leave their imprint. Through childhood and adolescence, the education system seeks to put us through a treadmill of learning, hoping for a fully functional human to emerge at the end. Sadly, the world that awaits a young adult after school is often very different from what the education system has imparted.

Memorization, exams, grades and NCERT books amount to nothing in a world driven by start-ups, ChatGPT and Social Media influencers…. Please note that the dimensions such as social, cultural and historical factors can also be mentioned in the body of the essay as supporting content ideas.

In most essay topics, these dimensions are best used to describe the reasons and impact of an issue or debate instead of as just a structure.

3. Timeline and Chronology

Some essay topics are uniquely suited for a chronological structure wherein you take the reader through a historical journey or evolution such as :

“History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man”

This topic is about the ancient debate between rationality and idealism. To write well about it, you would have to trace the through major historical intellectual movements such as the Scientific Revolution, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, etc. While doing so, you could mention how each stage was relevant for rational thinking versus idealism with relevant examples.

While you do so chronologically, remember to also present a balanced approach in your arguments- On every stage, you can mention how rational thinking and idealism have been in a tight relationship, but both have been an integral part of human consciousness representing creativity and logic. You may also mention how this to and fro has enriched human civilisation and led to the development of science and art.

4. Anecdotes and stories

Many students like to start their essays with an anecdote- a personal story or an imaginary one about characters highlighting the debate presented in the essay topic. While this is not a bad strategy, it requires a fair amount of creative writing ability to pull off properly. It is also important to mention that anecdotes are not the most suitable vehicle to comprehensively deal with the essay topic as not all arguments can easily fit into a personal story.

An example of a good use of anecdotal structure is:

“Not all who wander are lost”

About 2000 years ago, a wandering prince changed the world by questioning the most profound and radical assumptions about human existence. Prince Siddhartha was bathed in luxury and wanted for nothing. But when we saw the naked reality of the world and all its suffering, he could not silence his mind to the questions that we take for granted- why is there suffering and death? If suffering is inevitable then what is the point of life? Is there peace to be found or are we doomed to suffer in this life?

He wandered for years in search of answers, as lost as a soul can be. But in the end, it was his wandering that changed the world forever. When he became the Buddha, he not only found himself but saved millions of others from being lost themselves….

Anecdotes can make for good hooks or introductions to an essay but may not serve well to cover the entire body of the essay.

The Essay Exercise


	1. Use Anecdotes or historical examples in intro 2. 2 side face-offs in body of the essay 3. Balanced conclusion
	Start with comparing USSR and USA in the cold war. Preparation for nuclear war and hint at how being pre-emptive is strategic but not always a good thing.
	Argument- Counter-argument-
	Conclude by saying that we must strike a balance between preparedness and being spontaneous:

Important points to note:

You can choose which type of structure to use- there is no single best choice.
You may use more than 1 type of structure.
You may use structures for introduction, body and conclusion.

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Manas Srivastava is currently working as deputy copy editor at The Indian Express and writes for UPSC and other competitive exams related projects.

Manas Srivastava is currently working as Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and majorly writes for UPSC-related projects leading a unique initiative known as UPSC Essentials. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than four years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called ‘Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik’ and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called ‘You Ask We Answer’.His talks on ‘How to read a newspaper’ focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also currently working on a monthly magazine for UPSC Aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women’s Studies by the Women’s Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on ‘Psychological stress among students’ at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More

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40 Facts About Elektrostal

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 01 Jun 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy , materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes , offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development .

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy , with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

Elektrostal's fascinating history, vibrant culture, and promising future make it a city worth exploring. For more captivating facts about cities around the world, discover the unique characteristics that define each city . Uncover the hidden gems of Moscow Oblast through our in-depth look at Kolomna. Lastly, dive into the rich industrial heritage of Teesside, a thriving industrial center with its own story to tell.

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fashion review

When the Runways Are a Personal Playlist

Theater and dance critics can’t own the subjects they cover, but a fashion critic can — at least imaginarily — by making a hits compilation as the clothes go by.

A group of models wearing light-colored clothing including full balaclava-like masks descends a set of stairs and toward the camera.

By Guy Trebay

Reporting from Paris and Milan

If fashion is a storytelling business, it should follow that runway shows are narratives.

Yet they can’t be. For starters, they lack a plot. True, designers can be relied upon to spiel about inspirations, travels or philosophies as a listener’s eyeballs roll back in his head. The truth is that most fashion shows are best consumed, as everything else now is, in fragments. They are elements of an ongoing internal scroll, as continuous, algorithmic and addictive as Instagram reels.

That, anyway, is how this critic began viewing the collections in Milan and Paris this season, with the result that the following is best thought of as a mixtape, random and in some sense impressionistic and probably also solipsistic in the way everything is fundamentally forced to be in an attention economy.

Take Hermès. The designer Véronique Nichanian is anything but a household name, probably not even among those in the economic stratosphere this label was created to serve. So what? She’s as consistently fine as — and in many ways better than — other fixtures in the pantheon of men’s wear, people like Giorgio Armani or Helmut Lang. There is a reason you don’t know her.

“We don’t do marketing,” Axel Dumas, the Hermès chief executive, said at the company’s show. “We don’t even have a marketing department.”

Why bother when you are producing jaunty collections for those people whose own initials are enough, as the old Bottega Veneta tagline once held. So-called quiet luxury generally tends to make a racket. Ms. Nichanian’s is a muffled version and whispers wealth.

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Elements of Indian cuisine

Indian cuisine

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Food in India is an identity marker of caste, class, family, kinship, tribe affiliation, lineage, religiosity, ethnicity, and increasingly, of secular group identification.

Rice is a powerful symbol of both hunger and want as well as fulfillment and fertility. Until the late nineteenth century, however, only the wealthy ate rice, and most Indians consumed millet and sorghum.

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