Indian cuisine has been influenced by traders and colonizers over centuries. While India is renowned for its spices, staple ingredients like potatoes, tomatoes, and chilies originated elsewhere. Additionally, Britain contributed to popular Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala. Today, the Indian diaspora has spread cuisine globally, with over 80,000 Indian restaurants now found in America.
2. India is rightly called the Land of Spices. No country in the
world produces as many varieties of spices as India.
3. Greek, Roman
and Arab traders
have contributed
a lot to the first
foreign flavors in
Indian cuisine.
Who did you
think brought the
amazing saffron
to India?
4. Staple ingredients of Indian cuisine like potato, tomato and
chili don't have Indian origin. They were brought to India by
the Portuguese.
5. Not only this, the Portuguese also introduced us to refined sugar.
Before that? Fruits and honey were used as sweeteners in Indian
food.
6. Here comes a blow!
Our very favorite
Chicken Tikka
Masala, a popular
dish in India, is not
Indian. It was
invented in
Glasgow, Scotland!
7. The first Indian restaurant in the USA was opened in the mid
1960s. Today, there are around 80,000 Indian restaurants in
America.
8. According to Indian Food Theory, our food has 6 different flavors:
sweet, salty, bitter, sour, astringent and spicy.
9. Who doesn't
like chutneys? Indian
food is incomplete
without this delicious
side dish. But do you
know the Britishers
loved our chutneys as
much as we do? In fact,
they named one of
the chutneys as 'Major
Grey's'. It is still sold in
India and is quite
famous.
10. Mithais are an important
part of Indian cuisine and
celebrations. Payasam,
one of the favorite sweet
dishes of South India, is
a must-serve at important
ceremonies like
weddings. According to
South Indian tradition, a
wedding is not over until
Payasam is served.