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Thali

🇮🇳 The food of India

174 dishes from India, best known first, across 60 cities and regions.

Indian cooking brings together a huge range of regional and religious traditions, shaped by centuries of trade, migration, and local crops. Meals center on grains like rice or wheat, paired with lentils, vegetables, and carefully chosen spices. Distinctive techniques and a deep vegetarian tradition set it apart from other world cuisines.

  • Lentils and pulses are used in many forms, including whole, split, or dehusked.
  • Two unique techniques: frying spice pastes and adding fried spices to dishes.
  • Street foods like vada pav, kati rolls, and idli vary by city.
  • Vegetarianism is widespread, especially in Gujarat and among Jains.
  • Festival foods include sweets like kheer, halwa, and puran poli.

The cooking of India

Indian food is shaped by thousands of years of cultural exchange, migration, and religious practice. Its character comes from the interplay of local grains, lentils, and vegetables, with a wide palette of spices such as turmeric, cumin, and cardamom. Cooking methods range from slow stewing to frying spice pastes or adding fried spices to finished dishes. The cuisine is known for its regional variety, from coconut-rich southern stews to wheat-based breads in the north. Vegetarianism is widespread, influenced by Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist beliefs, while Muslim and Christian communities contribute their own dishes. Food is often prepared with simple tools, but the process can be labor-intensive, involving grinding and blending.

Staple foods in India

Core foods are rice, wheat (often as flatbreads), and lentils, with pulses like mung, pigeon pea, and black gram used in many forms. Oils vary by region: coconut in the south, mustard in the east, peanut in the north and west. Spices are essential, with each region using its own blends. Vegetables, pickles, and dairy products like yogurt are common accompaniments.

Snacks and street food in India

Street food is highly regional. In Mumbai, vada pav (a spiced potato fritter in a bun) is popular. Kolkata is known for kati rolls, which wrap spiced fillings in flatbread. Chennai’s streets offer idli (steamed rice cakes) with sambar (a lentil stew). Delhi’s Muslim heritage brings kebabs and other meat snacks.

From region to region in India

Northern India favors wheat breads, lentils, and dishes cooked with the dum pukht technique, where food is sealed and slow-cooked. Kashmir is known for rich meat dishes. Western India features vegetarian stews and sweets, with Goan food blending Indian and Portuguese influences. The east relies on rice, fish, and mustard, while the south uses rice, coconut, and steaming. Each region’s climate and dominant religion shape its food.

Festival and religious food in India

Festivals bring special foods. During Diwali, sweets like kheer (rice pudding) and halwa are made. Holi sees puran poli (sweet stuffed bread) and gujia (sweet dumplings). For religious offerings, food is presented to deities and then shared as prasāda. Fasting days allow only certain foods, such as dairy, fruits, and starchy roots.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Indian cuisine", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Cities and regions of India

Kerala 11Tamil Nadu 9Maharashtra 8Punjab 8Delhi 7Odisha 7Gujarat 6Hyderabad 6Kolkata 6Bihar 5Karnataka 5Mumbai 5West Bengal 5Andhra Pradesh 4Goa 4Lucknow 4South India 4Uttar Pradesh 4Madurai 3Assam 2Bengal 2Bhopal 2Bhuj 2Chennai 2Dharwad 2Jharkhand 2Kashmir 2Kochi 2Kozhikode 2Malabar 2Mathura 2Nabadwip 2New Delhi 2Pune 2Rajasthan 2Sikkim 2Tripura 2Udupi 2Uttarakhand 2Ahmedabad 1Ahmednagar 1Arunachal Pradesh 1Aurangabad 1Awadh 1Basirhat 1Bharuch 1Bhatkal 1Braj 1Chikmagalur 1Chinta Valley 1Darjeeling 1Deccan 1Doda 1eastern Uttar Pradesh 1Gaya 1Ghaziabad 1Guptipara 1Himachal Pradesh 1Jabalpur 1Jammu 1
MealBreakfastLunchTea timeDinnerSupperSnacks
KindMain dishStreet foodSoupStew or curryRice dishNoodle or pasta dishDumplingBreadGrill or roastSandwich or wrapPie or savoury pastrySalad or sideCheese or dairy foodSausage or cured foodSauce, pickle or fermentSweet or dessertDrink
DietVegetarianVeganFish and seafoodMeat
TeaVegan茶 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreA drink made by soaking tea leaves in hot or cold water Drink ChapatiVeganचपाती 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreUnleavened flatbread cooked on a griddle and served hot with meals Bread, Breakfast, Lunch Palm wineVegan 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 5 moreA lightly alcoholic drink made by fermenting the sap of palm trees Drink BhangVeganभांग 🇮🇳 IndiaCannabis leaf paste used in drinks and sweets, central to Indian spring festivals Drink, Snacks JhalmuriVeganঝালমুড়ি 🇮🇳 India and 1 morePuffed rice tossed with spices, vegetables and mustard oil, served as a street snack Street food, Snacks GundrukVeganगुन्द्रुक 🇳🇵 Nepal and 3 moreFermented leafy greens dried and eaten as a side dish in Nepal Sauce, pickle or ferment BreadfruitVegan 🇵🇭 Philippines and 4 moreLarge tropical fruit cooked as a starchy staple in many island cuisines Main dish, Lunch, Dinner KahwahVegan 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreA spiced green tea from Kashmir, often served with saffron and nuts Drink LimeadeVegan 🇧🇸 Bahamas and 5 moreSweetened lime juice mixed with water, served cold as a refreshing drink Drink, Snacks Bhel puriVegan 🇮🇳 IndiaPuffed rice snack tossed with chutneys, sev and crisp puris, sold on Mumbai streets Street food, Snacks, Tea time Pickled cucumberVegan 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreCucumbers preserved in brine or vinegar, enjoyed worldwide in many styles Sauce, pickle or ferment, Lunch, Dinner PapadamVegan 🇮🇳 India and 4 moreThin, crisp flatbread made from lentil or other flours, served as a snack or side Bread, Lunch, Dinner DalVeganदाल 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreSoupy dish made from split lentils, peas or beans, a staple across South Asia Main dish, Lunch, Dinner SharbatVeganشربت 🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreSweet fruit or flower drink, served chilled or as a syrup Drink, Snacks PuriVegan 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreUnleavened wheat flatbread, deep-fried until puffed and golden Bread, Breakfast, Snacks Lentil soupVegan 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreA hearty soup made from lentils, often with vegetables and spices Soup, Lunch, Dinner AppamVeganஅப்பம் 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreFermented rice and coconut milk pancake from South India and Sri Lanka Bread, Breakfast, Dinner TapiocaVegan 🇧🇷 Brazil and 5 moreStarch from cassava root, shaped into pearls, flakes, or powder Sauce, pickle or ferment Sugarcane juiceVegan 🇮🇳 India and 6 moreFresh juice pressed from sugarcane stalks, sold widely as a street drink Drink, Snacks ArrackVegan 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreDistilled spirit made from coconut sap, sugarcane, or grain in South and Southeast Asia Drink Banana chipVegan 🇵🇭 Philippines and 4 moreCrispy slices of banana, fried or dried, eaten as a snack or sweet Sweet or dessert, Snacks RasamVeganரசம் 🇮🇳 IndiaA spiced, tangy South Indian soup served hot with rice Soup, Lunch, Dinner Chana masalaVegan 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChickpeas simmered in a spiced tomato and onion sauce Main dish, Lunch, Dinner PuttuVeganപുട്ട് 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSteamed cylinders of rice flour and coconut, served hot for breakfast Main dish, Breakfast Flattened riceVegan 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRice grains flattened into flakes, used in sweet and savoury dishes across Asia Rice dish, Breakfast, Snacks Rooh AfzaVegan 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreA sweet herbal syrup mixed with water or milk, popular in South Asia Drink, Snacks Ginger teaVegan 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreA hot drink made by steeping ginger root, often with tea, sweetener or milk Drink, Breakfast, Snacks Tandoor breadVegan 🇮🇶 Iraq and 5 moreFlatbread baked on the walls of a clay tandoor oven Bread, Breakfast, Lunch Kaju katliVegan 🇮🇳 IndiaIndian sweet made from ground cashews and sugar, cut into diamond shapes Sweet or dessert Panta bhatVegan 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreCooked rice soaked overnight in water and eaten cold, often with salt and onion Main dish, Breakfast KhakhraVegan 🇮🇳 IndiaCrisp, thin flatbread from western India, often eaten as a snack or breakfast Bread, Breakfast, Snacks BeguniVeganবেগুনী 🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreEggplant slices dipped in gram flour batter and deep-fried Street food, Snacks PathiriVegan 🇮🇳 IndiaThin rice flour flatbread from Kerala, often paired with curries Bread, Lunch, Dinner ChikkiVegan 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreA brittle Indian sweet made from nuts and jaggery or sugar Sweet or dessert, Snacks PholourieVegan 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 3 moreFried balls of spiced split pea and flour, served with chutney Street food, Snacks

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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