Woman World Web

July 25th, 2010 by Julia Kelly

There are many myths and misconceptions about Indian food. Lets just take a brief look at some of them. This will be interesting.

Indian Food is always spicy: This is the general consensus among foreigners. Not true at all. While Indian food typically is more spicy, there are a lot of cuisines where the recipes are even sweet and bland. So if spicy is not your preference you could try those cuisines, for starters Gujarati cuisines are perfect for people who dislike spicy food.

Infact traditional Indian cuisines from many areas of India may have that added masala but are generally less spicier than regions like Andhra Pradesh where recipes are very spicy in general.

Indian food is only vegetarian: This is partly true. Hindus, being the majority community in India, are mostly vegetarian. However there are so many different sub-sects within the Hindu religion, that lots of of them follow their own food practices.

Contrary to widely held belief, many Indians are meat-eaters and cook them well too. Chicken is perhaps the most well-liked meat in India. Cow is considered a sacred animal and is avoided by Hindus though Muslims and Christians eat beef. Sea food is also popular in coastal regions like Goa, Mangalore, Kerala, West Bengal and others.

There is no variety in Indian cooking: Many, especially foreigners and first time visitors to India, are of the opinion that Indian food doesn’t have so much of choices. Indian cuisine is probably one of the most varied food-culture on the planet!

Indian food = Chicken Tikka : This is a popular myth made famous by ethnic Indians in England. Chicken Tikka was originally a Persian dish brought to India by the Mughals. This was later adopted by the people of Punjab (in India and Pakistan). They created their own version of Chicken Tikka and took the recipe with them when many of them migrated and settled in Britain. Though it is highly popular in UK, it is not so much in India where it has to compete with hundreds of other local dishes.

Indian food is all about Curry: Curry is something that was again made popular by British-South Asian ethnic groups. While Curry abroad may refer to a thick and spicy gravy dish, India takes a different meaning altogether. In South India, Curry may refer to a vegetable side-dish that is often served with rice.

This is true and Indians consider eating with hands a more enriching experience although this is not a rule and Indians do use spoons and forks too. Moreover there are plenty of Indian dishes which are not easy to eat with a fork or spoon.

You will also find that in certain Indian regions, food is served on a banana leaf or an areca nut leaf. These traditions have been passed on to families since many generations and many modern Indian continue to follow then regardless of caste differences.

For additional information and video recipes please visit the buzzing food community at ifood. If you are an Indian food lover you can also take a look at Indian Recipes and South Indian Food.