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Land of
contrasts. Unimaginable wealth and abject poverty; unbearable heat and
lashing blizzards; killer cyclones and devastating droughts; arid desert
and dazzling palm-fringed beaches; serene countryside and crowded,
bustling cities. The country's cuisine is equally diverse, from simple
meals of chapati and lentils to the most lavish banquets. As well, India
has a vegetarian cuisine that is imaginative, varied and nutritionally
complete. Food is recognised as one of life's necessities, and the care
and respect which goes into its preparation is as life-sustaining as the
food itself.
While rice is the staple, breads, both leavened and unleavened, are daily
fare in northern and central regions, though they bear little resemblance
to Western loaves. They are not breads for slicing - each flat loaf is an
individual serving size, and is usually broken into pieces which are used
to scoop up the spicy accompaniments. Besides rice and wheat, millet is a
widely used grain, both mixed with wheat flour to make flat breads; or
coarse milled and cooked as pilau. Corn is also used, ground into a fine,
silky cornmeal which is sometimes added to a pakora batter or combined
with wheat flour and made into corn rotis, India's answer to the tortilla. |
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