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Thali

🇮🇳 The food of India

169 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 7Odisha 7Punjab 7Delhi 6Gujarat 6Hyderabad 6Kolkata 6Karnataka 5Mumbai 5West Bengal 5Andhra Pradesh 4Bihar 4Goa 4South India 4Uttar Pradesh 4Lucknow 3Madurai 3Assam 2Bhopal 2Chennai 2Dharwad 2Jharkhand 2Kochi 2Kozhikode 2Malabar 2Mathura 2Nabadwip 2New Delhi 2Pune 2Rajasthan 2Sikkim 2Tripura 2Udupi 2Uttarakhand 2Ahmedabad 1Ahmednagar 1Arunachal Pradesh 1Aurangabad 1Awadh 1Basirhat 1Bengal 1Bhatkal 1Bhuj 1Braj 1Chikmagalur 1Chinta Valley 1Darjeeling 1Doda 1eastern Uttar Pradesh 1Ghaziabad 1Guptipara 1Himachal Pradesh 1Jabalpur 1Jammu 1Jaunpur 1Kakinada 1Kashmir 1Keralam 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 Ice cream 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreA frozen dessert made from sweetened, flavoured milk or cream Sweet or dessert, Snacks Palm wineVegan 🇳🇬 Nigeria and 5 moreA lightly alcoholic drink made by fermenting the sap of palm trees Drink KahwahVegan 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreA spiced green tea from Kashmir, often served with saffron and nuts Drink BhangVeganभांग 🇮🇳 IndiaCannabis leaf paste used in drinks and sweets, central to Indian spring festivals Drink, Snacks LimeadeVegan 🇧🇸 Bahamas and 5 moreSweetened lime juice mixed with water, served cold as a refreshing drink Drink, Snacks LassiVegetarian 🇮🇳 IndiaYogurt blended with water and spices, served chilled Drink Punchपंच 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreA party drink of fruit juice, sweetener, and sometimes alcohol, served in a large bowl Drink, Snacks SharbatVeganشربت 🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreSweet fruit or flower drink, served chilled or as a syrup Drink, Snacks Masala chaiVegetarianचाय 🇮🇳 India and 2 moreBlack tea brewed with milk, spices and sugar, served hot across India Drink, Breakfast, Tea time Butter teaབོད་ཇ་ 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreA hot Himalayan drink of tea, yak butter and salt, churned to a creamy texture Drink, Breakfast, Snacks 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 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 Indian filter coffeeVegetarian 🇮🇳 IndiaSouth Indian coffee made with chicory, milk, and sugar, brewed in a metal filter Drink, Breakfast, 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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