While the gushtaba of Kashmir stands out for its uniqueness in taste and style, the world-famous Sarson ka Saag with Makke ki roti from Punjab is simply mouth-watering. The ruggedness of Rajasthan is reflected in its dhal bhati. The music of Bengal flows in its Machh Bhaat. The indulgence of Awadh wafts out of its Kakori Kebabs. Who can resist the temptation of having pao bhaaji in Mumbai or fish curry rice in Goa. Or its cake called bebinca that has no peers anywhere in the world. Not to forget the flavour of biryani cooked with succulent pieces of mutton or chicken in the Hyderbad. You can still eat like the Nawabs there! The very mention of the north-east India reminds one of the bamboo shoot curry. Drink Sattoo in Bihar lest we lose out on food to drink! Gandhi’s Gujarat too rolled out its dhokla and shreekhand to establish its signature through food. There are hundreds of such other signature dishes of smaller regional cultural identities.

India is perhaps one country that can provide to a traveller the experience of snow-covered peaks, deserts and sand dunes, serene riverside, playful seaside beaches and rugged jungle safaris at any given time of the year. This has indeed impacted the culinary styles of different regions in the country. The cold Kashmir weather demanded that the food contain ingredients to fight off the cold; a lot of heat-generating spices and saffron found their way into the cuisine. Similarly the hot weather of Rajasthan and Gujarat required lighter foods, so we find Gujarati dishes with thin gravy. The natural presence of fish in coastal areas, bamboo in the north-east, rice or wheat in areas producing them converted these foods into the staple diet of people living in those regions. In fact food combines with the festivals too to create those stunning sweets that have become special only to India. Like a gujiya will mark the Holi, Kheer-puri shall be served at Diwali, ukdiche modak is served during Ganesh festival and Shreekhand at Dusshera. Similarly, Bengalis indulge in Sandesh during the Pooja season (Dusshera) and Tamils churn out exciting pongal. Cakes are centric to the Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter, while sweet sivaiyans mark the Id festival of the Muslims.

In Kashmiri cuisine, the locally grown dry-fruit is used abundantly in sweetmeats. The traditional Wazwan, a combination of aromatic dishes is perhaps food for the gods. Gushtaba is white-coloured meat balls in thin red curry; Tabak Maas is roasted spare ribs with a unique taste; yakhni is mutton with the flavour of aniseed, cumin, and cardamom; pulao is rice and mutton, cooked in the flavour of spices secreted from the spice bag put in the utensil while cooking. Here, spices are not mixed; the flavour percolates.

Punjabi cuisine uses the tandoor effectively. The huge earthen oven is used to dish out tandoori chicken, paneer Tikka, Chicken tikka et el. The Punjabi tandoori roti with a generous helping of home-made white butter goes well with such food. Food in villages is simple, dal makhni, sarson ka saag, rajmah (kidney beans) and a variety of stuffed parathas being the staple fare. Lassi, sweet or salted, is usually an accompaniment replacing juice, tea or coffee.

Bengali cuisine is dominated by fish. Whether marinated or cooked in curd, fish is the most celebrated part of a Bengali dining table. Not to forget the massive contribution of Bengali sweets to the Indian palate. Sandesh, rassogullas, Gulabjamuns, Chamcham, Chena Murki, Anarkali, and Mishti Doi are the shining examples. Mughlai cuisine was a gift of the Mughal kings to Indian taste buds, and it has now captivated food lovers, connoisseurs and food critics the world over. Start with the Shorba (soup), move to Chicken Jehangiri, Chicken Nooorjehani, Murg do Pizza, Mutton Rogan Josh, tandoori raan, mutton Stew, Nahiri and Biryani and your olfactory senses will also be satisfied along with your taste buds and appetite.

Bread too assumed paramount importance in Mughlai style. The Shirmaal and the Roomali Roti are each different in presentation and taste.Vegetarianism is now being pursued the world over with a vigour that has never been seen before. And to India must go the credit of not only launching it as a food philosophy but also having the largest number of practicing vegetarians. The underlying principle of vegetarianism is indeed laudable-that of not causing any harm to a living being.

Gujarati cuisine, vegetarian and mostly served in thali style, is light on the stomach. Use of spices is moderate and often dishes are sweetened with a sprinkling of sugar while being cooked. Gujarati cuisine managed to impress the world with Shreekhand, a sweetened yogurt dessert, and Dhokla, a salty, flavoured chickenpea flour soft cake eaten along with green chillies.

Rajasthani cuisine has an unmistakable stamp of the desert environment. As not much grows in the arid desert, people had to be safeguarded by diet supplements against the hot desert winds. So hot garlic paste and spring onions, credited with power to prevent heat strokes, came up as necessary accompaniments to the meal. As for sweets, Churma Ka Laddoo, made of bread crumbs (roti) and sugar crystals fried together and then crushed into a ball is very tasty. Goan cuisine imbibed much from the Portuguese tradition. They developed the ‘Vindaloo’, spicy ‘Sorpotel’ and numerous seafood dishes. The generous sea gave Goans a plentiful supply of prawns, fish, lobsters, crabs, and shrimps-so seafood assumes paramount importance in Goan food. Coconut milk is used liberally in cooking and in baking cakes.

A local fruit ‘Kokum’ pipes up in the cup as a local drink, red in colour and endowed with digestive properties. The Portuguese passed on the tradition of using vinegar in making meat dishes that adds a ‘tang’ to the dish. The area is rich in coconut and cashew nuts from which the ‘Feni’ is made (strong and heady liquor) and often speaks once it rides the mind. The Bebinca beats any cakes in the world and Goans excel in making tarts, pastries, rose-a-coque, and ovos da pascoa.

Hyderabadi cuisine is often remembered by its spice-it is the hottest of all Indian cuisines. Ghongura, a pickled leaf would leave you red in the ears. The cuisine uses ‘gun powder’, a locally prepared spicy powder, as an accompaniment along with ghee, when people consume rice. The Hyderabadis have made ‘Biryani’ an internationally accepted dish in any menu card.

South Indian Cuisine is traditional and typical. Mainly rice-eaters, South Indian food never goes without Sambar and Rasam and curd. The traditionalist kitchen will serve on banana leaves and keep pouring Sambar and Rasam till one cries no. Lot of chutneys, and the use of the coconut paste, adds to the taste. Dosas, idli and vadas are the main dishes here. Tamils are mostly fond of drumstick, gourd, brinjal, cabbage and cauliflower. Imli, or tamarind, is added to a dish to embellish it with a tang.The areas of Chettinad, Tanjore and Arcot developed their own variants of the the cuisine. Chettinad is one such distinct school of cooking recognized for its spice, aroma and oil. Sun-dried legumes and berries get transformed into mouth-watering curries with the Chettiar treatment.

The art of making pickles is one unusual feature of Indian Cuisine. Many fruits and vegetables, like mango, lime, ginger, garlic, carrot, cauliflower, jungle berries, chilli, even some types of meats like chicken are pickled. The spices and oil added to the pickle enhances the taste and preserves the fruit or vegetable for a long time. Almost any bland dish can be lifted in taste by eating it along with some pickle. This art, perhaps developed in the hands of the grandmas and till today, pickles from different houses taste different.

Whatever the cuisine, every region has somehow managed to balance the fat content with neutralizing agents, bland tastes with spicy chutneys and pastes, cereal and carbohydrates, with the fruit and drink. To be tradition-bound in cuisine has actually become a blessing for India. Just like India’s diversity, the cuisine is distinctive and laden with pride. Never would one chef decry the other region’s cuisine. He will continue to strive for his own excellence, as does the other. Both shall glorify their traditions and leave it to the consumer to decide.