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Most Indian cuisine are related by the similar usage of spices and the use of a greater variety of vegetables than many other cuisine. Religious and caste restrictions, weather, geography and the impact of foreigners have affected the eating habits of Indians.
The coastal states of West Bengal and Kerala, they consume a lot of fish. Southern Indians generally speaking, have been orthodox in their tastes, probably because eating meat when it is hot all year round can be difficult. In the North, the weather varies from a scorching heat to a nail-biting cold, with a sprinkling of showers in between. So, the food here is quite rich and heavy. Also, the Mughal influence has resulted in meat-eating habits among many North Indians. Also, a variety of flours are used to make different types of breads like chapathis, rotis, phulkas, puris and naan.

In the arid areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat, a great variety of dals and preserves (achars) are used to substitute the lack of fresh vegetables and fruits. Tamilian food uses a lot of tamarind to impart sourness to a dish, where as Andhra food can be really chili-hot. It is believed that a hot and spicy curry may be one of the best ways to combat the flu virus! From, ancient times Indian food has been on principle, divided into the Satwik and Rajsik kinds. The former was the food of the higher castes like the Brahmins and was supposed to be more inclined towards spirituality and health. It included vegetables and fruits but, not onions, garlic, root vegetables and mushrooms. The more liberal Rajsik food allowed eating just about anything under the sun, with the exception of beef. The warrior-kings like the Rajputs whose main requirements were strength and power ate this food.

In the beautiful and rich valley of Kashmir, all dishes are built around the main course of rice. A thick-leafed green leafy vegetable called ‘hak’ grows in abundance here and is used to make the delicious ‘saag’.

Bengalis eat a lot of fish and one of the delicacies called the ‘hilsa’ is spiced and wrapped in pumpkin leaf and cooked. Another unusual ingredient used in Bengali cooking is the bamboo shoot. Milk sweets from this region
like the Roshgolla, Sandesh, Cham-cham are world famous.

In the south of India, rice is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Raw rice, parboiled rice, Basmathi rice are some of the different types of rice eaten here. Parboiled rice is raw rice treated through a process wherein the ingredients and aroma of the husk are forced into the rice. Steamed rice dumplings or idlis, roasted rice pancakes or dosais are eaten along with coconut chutneys for breakfast.

In Bombay, the food is a happy combination of north and south. Both rice and wheat are included in their diets. A lot of fish is available along the long coastline and the Bombay Prawn and Pomfret preparations are delicious. Further down south along the coast, in Goa, a Portuguese influence is evident in dishes like the sweet and sour Vindaloo, duck baffad, sorpotel and egg molie.

In Kerala, lamb stew and appams, Malabar fried prawns and idlis, fish molie and dosai, rice puttu and sweetened coconut milk are the many combinations eaten at breakfast. Puttu is glutinous rice powder steamed like a pudding in a bamboo shoot.

Sweets are very popular all over India and are usually cooked in a lot of fat. ‘Jalebis’, luscious pretzel shaped loops fried to a golden crisp and soaked in saffron syrup can be had from any street vendor in North India. ‘Kheer’ or ‘payasam’ are equivalents of the rice pudding and ‘Kulfi’ is an Indian ice cream made in conical moulds and frozen.

Tea is drunk as a beverage in India. Tea from the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong are boiled in milk and water and served with a liberal dose of sugar. Filtered coffee is a favorite among South Indians and is a very sweet, milky version of coffee.

It is these complexities of regional food in India that make it a so very fascinating try!

Bengali
Punjabi
Goa
Gujarati
Kashmiri
Marathi food
South Indian

FOOD FROM BENGAL
	Bengalis eat a lot of fish and one of the delicacies called the ‘hilsa’ is spiced and wrapped in pumpkin leaf and cooked. Another unusual ingredient used in Bengali cooking is the bamboo shoot. Milk sweets from this region like the Roshgolla, Sandesh, Cham-cham are world famous.

FOOD FROM PUNJAB
	Punjabi food includes classic favorite such as Tondori Chicken, Naan, parathas, Alu Tikki, Makke di Roti and Sarson ka Saag and many more. Punjab a northwestern state of India is also known as 'the Land of Milk and Honey'

FOOD FROM GOA
	Visitors to Goa tend to think that food and drink in Goa means the famous Fish, Curry, Rice and Feni. And for most Goans these are indeed the three basic necessities of life -- Fish, Curry and Rice. They combine to make a heavenly daily meal for the average Goan. But Goan cuisine, like the land itself, has many flavours and tastes with its vast treasure trove of culinary delicacies.

FOOD FROM GUJRAT
	Gujarati cuisine is primarily dominated with array of vegetarian dishes. Some of Gujarati food include: Khandvi, Dhokla, Dal Kadhi, Dal Dhokli, Shrikand etc

FOOD FROM KASHMIR
	Rich and redolent with the flavour of the spices used –Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves, Saffron, etc. Kashmiri food can be the simple meal of a family, or a 36-course wedding banquet called Wazawan. The staple diet of Kashmir is rice, the most preferred being the dense, slightly sticky grained Kashmir variety, which is prized in the Valley.

FOOD FROM MAHARASHTRA
	Maharashtra or Marathi food consist large variety of vegetables, fish and coconuts. The coconuts are grated as flavor in many dishes. However, coconut oil is not very widely used as a cooking medium. Instead peanut oil is the main cooking medium. Peanuts and Cashewnuts are widely used in vegetables.

FOOD FROM SOUTH
	The very mentioning of the name of South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, brings to ones mind the tastes of Idlis, Dosas, Sambhar and Vada. However, there are more than these that can treat the taste buds. Most of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes of this region have a generous use of spices and coconuts. The final tempering with oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and urad dhal is almost the same for most of the dishes. In Kerala, the staple food of the people is fish accompanied with steaming rice of big size.

INDIAN APPETIZER OR SNACK
	Indian cuisine has rich array of appetizers. Many of these are comparatively lower in fat than most western appetizers which are heavy on butter and cheese.

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