One cannot think of the India without thinking of their diverse food variety, commonly known as the Indian Cuisine. The traditional Indian Cuisine is perhaps one of the most varied cuisines that there are in the world. Each of the various provinces of India has unique traditions and distinctive food choices. The common ingredients used for cooking in these provinces also vary besides their cooking methods and mediums.
It takes years for an Indian caterer to master the many different dishes which together make up the Indian cuisine. Besides the countless appetizers, there are vegetable dishes, lentil dishes, meat dishes and then of course there are many snacks and desserts which make up the delicious and rich Indian food.
Traditional Indian food cannot be cooked without the right and extensive use of the numerous spices. From cardamom, chillies, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, coriander, cloves to cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron, Indian Cuisine has it all. There are many ways these spices can be used and these different ways bring out the different tastes in each of the different meals. It is not easy to learn how and how much each spice has to be used in a dish.
The traditional Indian cuisine is very different from the English cuisine that is a part of British history. However it is true that their long association in the past has led to each other’s influence on both the cuisines. Now Indian food is fairly common in Britain. But is the British Indian food and traditional Indian food the same? The simple answer to this question is ‘No.’
There are many reasons why British Indian food and traditional Indian food are not the same. Some of these are listed below.
• First of all, many of the traditional Indian dishes are quite hot and spicy whereas the English cuisine isn’t. Therefore when Indian Cuisine became popular in Britain it had to amend itself in order to be widely acceptable with the Britons. The Indian food found in Britain is not spicy as back home.
• Most of the Indians are vegetarians which is why meat is excluded from most of the dishes. There is no such restriction in Britain and therefore many of the Indian curries which are becoming popular in Britain include chicken and other meat.
• Some of the dishes, like Chicken Tikka Masala, are entirely new Indian dishes that took birth in Britain. Because the BBQ Chicken Tikka is a popular yet spicy food in India, the Britons made a few changes to it and added a bit of gravy to it to cut down on its spice.