India is a vibrant country that will amaze every tourist. The dishes of the national cuisine make diverse impressions on vacationers.
Therefore, before traveling, you should learn as much as possible about the food served in local restaurants.
Features of Indian National Cuisine
National dishes can initially shock visitors. Firstly, Indians are accustomed to serving large portions, which can be difficult for a Russian tourist to finish. Secondly, the country uses a great variety of spices and herbs, making the food spicy and quite hot. Also, the country has unpredictable food combinations; for example, locals enjoy eating mango with beetroot and garlic.
The staple foods in India are rice, legumes, vegetables, and flatbreads. In the preparation of most vegetables, sabzi and curry spices are used. Many dishes contain unsalted cheese – paneer. It is added to soups, stuffed with nuts and garlic. In local cuisine, paneer pâté with vegetables is popular.
In India, meat consumption is limited to poultry, lamb, and goat. Seafood and meat dishes also use many spices. Shrimp, lobster, and other aquatic creatures are best sampled in restaurants on the ocean coast.
In making desserts, local chefs use dairy products, honey, nuts, fruits, spices, etc.
What to try in India
Indian dishes are pleasant to the taste but almost all are spicy. The body of a Russian tourist is not accustomed to such cuisine, so ideally, you should order 'no spicy'. In local restaurants, you should try vegetable curry, cabbage and potato stew, dal, and thali.
Fans of pickles should pay attention to achaar. The dish consists of vegetables and fruits pickled in oil and spices.
Residents of this unique country consume a lot of cheese and dairy products. One of the most beloved dishes is palak paneer – cheese with spinach and butter.
On a hot day, you should try raita. The ingredients of the dish are fresh vegetables, mint, cilantro, spices, and yogurt (in India, curd). The menu also includes sweet raita, which contains fruits.
Also, every tourist must try Indian flatbreads – roti. To feel their authentic taste, you need to eat the dish correctly: tear off pieces and dip them in a special sauce. Flatbreads can be with or without filling.
While in India, you should try the national pilaf, which is made with basmati rice, meat, or vegetables. In seafood restaurants, you must sample fresh fish and lobster.
For desserts, vacationers prefer to order carrot halwa with almonds (gajar ka halwa), crispy stuffed pancakes (dosa), and triangular-shaped pies (samosas).
Drinks and Alcohol in India
Among drinks in India, the fermented milk drink with fruits, nuts, and candied fruits (lassi), butter tea with spices, and freshly squeezed juices are quite popular. Exotic lovers enjoy bhang lassi with cannabis.
Alcohol cannot be purchased in all states. Some territories have a dry law. The most in-demand are cane and fruit wines, rum, beer, and whiskey.
Most travelers retain only positive emotions from the dishes of the national Indian cuisine.
