GIT India

A lot of travellers find that one of the best parts of visiting another country is the chance to try different foods. This is certainly the case with India. Indian food is world famous and definitely one of the highlights of a visit. One thing that you will notice is that there is no such thing as a distinctively Indian food, instead there are a large number of regional foods that will depend on where you are.

When it comes to Indian food the thing that will really stand out in most cases is how spicy it is. There is a reason that Columbus was looking to get to India to bring spices back the Europe. There are a huge variety of spices used in Indian cooking and much of it is very hot. This is primarily because of the tropical climate that much of the country has. The food that most people associate with India is curry although really this can mean a variety of things, curry is just a spice that can be added to almost anything.

One of the things that you will notice as you travel around India is that there is a lot of regional variation when it comes to the cooking. This is why it is so hard to define something as being Indian food. In a lot of cases the reason that a particular food is used will be obvious, along the coasts seafood is common for example. However due to the fact that India has a number of very distinct cultures within its borders there is also a lot of variation because of this.

One of the features that really stands out about Indian food in almost all regions is the widespread prevalence of vegetarians. If you don't eat meat you will have little trouble travelling in India. The main staples of most people's diets are rice and lentils, although in the nontropical regions the rice will usually be replaced by a wheat based flour. In addition dairy products are quite common. Indians of course don't eat cows but they do make widespread use of its milk.

For people who do want meat with their meals there are still lots of options, beef of course is off limits so is pork due to the large Muslim population. The most widely eaten meat is seafood, at least in coastal areas. In the areas that are farther inland you will find that chicken and mutton are the most widely eaten meats.

The actual eating in India will vary depending on where you are, traditionally most food was eaten with your fingers well seated on the floor. However in areas where bread tends to be served instead of rice you are normally expected to scoop your food with the bread rather than using your fingers. That being said most middle class Indian's have started using cutlery so you will probably offered it in most places that you to to eat.