Flavours of India
Every country has its own culture of food. India is not far behind, in fact, it has a very rich diversity of cuisines. From Kashmiri kawa (instant tea premix) to Kerala’s banana chips, Punjabi parantha to Mumbai’s bhel puri, Bengali rashogulla to Gujarat’s dhokla we have a variety of Indian foods.
Similarly, our Seasons also specialize in different foods/drinks for example during summers we take Coconut water, lassi (buttermilk), in the Rainy season we crave for Pakoras, samosa, and tikki; Whereas for winters, we prefer foods which keep us warm.
So here is a list of 5 foods which cannot be avoided.
1. CARROT HALWA: By the end of a year, when the season of winters is at its climax, and celebrations of New year are at its peak, the comforting delicacy of “Carrot Halwa” is on our topmost servings. It is made with some spoons of desi ghee, a handful of nuts, a pinch of elaichi and saffron combined with lots of milk, khoya (condensed milk), and sugar. This sweet dish is a must to satisfy your sweet tooth.
2. MAKKI KI ROTI WITH SARSO KA SAAG: Bread made up of cornflour and mustard curry of green leafy vegetables. Most liked dish of people in northern regions. It is served warm with a dollop of white butter and a piece of jaggery called ‘gur’; which altogether completes this delicious cuisine.
3. METHI PARANTHA: Fenugreek or methi is a green leafy vegetable also used as its seeds in Indian cooking. It is nutritious and tastes awesome when cooked with Indian spices. “Parantha” is bread made up of wheat flour firstly kneaded with water and made up into round dumplings, then rolled with a rolling pin (belan) on the circular board (Chakla) to transform the round dumplings into flatbread. Put on stove and spread some ghee to roast till it’s brown. It can be eaten with curd, pickle, or any sauce as well.
4. PALAK PAKORA: Gram flour or ‘Besan’ is made from gram chickpea, is again healthy and warm. A Variety of foods can be cooked from this flour like kadi (yellow curry), dhokla, and sweets. One of its best creations is in the form of pakoras i.e dumplings. Palak is spinach. Besan is liquified and mixed with spices then spinach is dipped in mixture and fried into the hot oil. Palak pakoras are served with green chili sauce.
5. GINGER TEA: Along with tea leaves, a pinch of elaichi (cardamom), grated ginger, and sugar water is boiled till the colour of tea and aroma of elaichi comes out. And milk is added and boiled again. The soothing effect of ginger is majestic on our throat in winters.
Food for festivals
Besides state-wise variations, there are other factors also which stimulate our taste buds such as Occasions, Festivals, and Seasons, etc. Occasions like marriage, the birth of a baby, buying a new home are all incomplete without a sweet dish. The Festival of “Lohri” starts with eating popcorns, gajjak, rewri, and peanuts, “Holi” is celebrated with the sweetness of gujjiya, “Diwali” is complete with ladoos.
Written by Aanchal Madaan
Author’s bio
A friendly and family-oriented person. She loves to read and write. She likes to socialize, try different food and explore things around.
She believes in connecting with empathy and investing in relationships for a happy life.
