Food Is An Emotion

Food is not only a substance which is to be consumed; it is an emotion for people in this 21st century. People not only eat for gaining nutritional support but also to satisfy their tastes. Food is not only about fats, proteins, vitamins or minerals; but also about taste, colour and smell. We can also say that the food we eat depends on the moods and situations of our life. For Indians, food is a symbol of celebration and happiness. We have variations of food for different states, cultures and occasions. Indian food has always been known for its use of herbs and spices. Based on different parts and culture of India food can be categorized as: Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Mughlai, Punjabi, Rajasthani and South Indian food.

• Bengali food- Bengali cuisine is always known for its perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavours. One of the most used ingredients in Bengali cuisine is the use of Panchphoron. It is the term used to refer the five important spices, that is, fenugreek, mustard, aniseed, cumin and black cumin. It is used in different dals and sabji dishes in Bengal.

• Gujarati food- Basically, Gujarati food is vegetarian type with high values of nutrition. A typical Gujarati thali consists of rotli, dal or kadhi, rice and shaak/sabzi. This cuisine offers so much and each dish has an absolutely different cooking style.

• Kashmiri food- The Kashmiri food that is available in the restaurants has gone through evolution for years. Kashmiri food has now taken some features of the cooking style adopted in Perisa, Central Asia and Afghanistan.

• Mughlai food- Mughlai food is one of the oldest cuisines present in India. It consists of dishes which were prepared in the kitchens in Mughal Emperors. Indian cuisine is greatly influenced by the cooking style practiced during the Mughal era.

• Punjabi food- The Punjabi cuisine not only consists of vegetarian dishes but also non-vegetarian. The spices used for the preparation of this cuisine ranges from minimum to pleasant to high. This cuisine is basically tasted by people of all communities.

• Rajasthani food- Like the Gujarati cuisine, Rajasthani cuisine is also a vegetarian one with great mouth watering dishes. The use of spices is comparatively high as compared to other Indian cuisines but tastes really good. One of the most used ingredient of Rajasthani cuisine is ghee. This cuisine is also known for the spicy curries and delicious sweets.

• South Indian food -The South Indian is popularly known for its light and low calorie dishes. The traditional food of this cuisine is based on rice. This cuisine is popular for its fabulous mixing of rice and lentils to prepare tasty lip smacking dosas, vadas, idlis and uttapams.