171 Moti Foodies

Exploring Indian Food Culture

*Hindustani Khana means ‘Indian Food’ in Hindi

“Athithi Devo Bhava”

“Athithi Devo Bhava” is a popular belief in India and is Sanskrit for "Guests are equivalent to God." Food has important cultural connotations in India. Indians honor their visiting friends and relatives by serving them their favorite foods.

India is a land of diversity in many respects. This story will explore the influences for food in India under three broad categories: Climate and Agriculture, Globalization, and Religion.

How does climate influence agriculture and food consumption in India?

India is culturally and topographically diverse. The variations in temperature and rainfall have a major impact on the diversity in crop cultivation and food consumption across the country.

* Please hover over on the pie slices or map to understand the dominant crop variety grown in different states in India

How has globalization expanded food preferences for the Indian community?

On the right is a tree map of dishes offered on an Indian catering company’s wedding lunch menu. Indian weddings are richly traditional. There is great importance to the variety of foods and assortment of spices and other rich ingredients. Over the years, there has been an increasing amount of contemporary, continental and global cuisines offered along with traditional Indian dishes.

* Please click the nodes to interact with the chart, and learn the recipe by clicking the name of the dish

-- Contemporary dish

-- Traditional Dish

How does religion influence food in India?

India has a diverse mix of religions, with a Hindu majority (79.80%). Between 23-37% of Hindus are vegetarian. Most Hindus do not eat beef and most Muslims do not eat pork. These dietary restrictions influence the ingredients used within dishes.

Source: 2011 Indian Census Data

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun is a sweet delicacy, especially prepared during Diwali, the Hindu festival of light. They are made with milk solids, sugar syrup and flavored with spices.

Sheer Khurma

Sheer Khurma

Sheer Kurma is a speciality for Muslims on the festival of Eid. Dry fruits, vermicelli, thickened milk and sugar are the key ingredients.

Achappam

Achappam

Achappam are Rosette cookies, traditionally made during Christmas in the state of Kerala. Rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and eggs are essentials.

Explore an assortment of dishes in the Indian cuisine!

Interact with this chart to explore nuances of Indian dishes by course type, diet, flavor, and region of origin.

The larger the bubble, the longer the cook time. Yellow bubbles indicate vegetarian dishes and purple bubbles indicate non-vegetarian dishes.

Source: Indian Food 101, Kaggle.com