Nothing describes the complexity of Indian food better than curry. Every culture and every household has its own variation to the beauty of curry depending upon the lay of the land, climate, availability of ingredients as well as religious practices. From south to north, to the east and the west, the thing this huge land has in common, is its love for a warm bowl of curry.
Unity in Diversity
India is a land of beautiful culture and tradition. Every traveller writing about their journey in India from Megasthenes, Fa-Hien and Marco Polo to a backpacking blogger in the 21st century depicts the region as a mystical land with an allure that is magical yet perilous; wonderful yet dreary. India is one of the most diverse cultural hotspots in the world with over 1650 different languages and cultures.
Each culture has preserved its traditions and customs over centuries. And of course, the earliest and the most important tradition for any culture is its love for food. Nothing describes the complexity of Indian food better than curry. With innumerable differences from the spicy and hearty meat curries of North India to the earthy coconut curries of South India, from the fragrant lentil curries of West India to the mild-pungent fish curries of East India; the one thing that brings together this diverse land is a warm bowl of curry!
One of the most endearing and enduring memories of every Indian child is of their grandmothers toasting and grinding spices on an early spring morning for an aromatic curry powder from a recipe as old as time passed on from mother to daughter and later in the afternoon making their favourite curry for lunch. Curry is the most essential part of the Indian meal. It comes in many forms to constitute the main course of the meal from vegetables and lentils to eggs, poultry, meat or fish. Some cultures also use fruits to make their curry such as jackfruits, bananas or mangoes!
North India
The vast ranges of the Himalayas with glacial rivers flowing across the highland plateaus of North India boast a scenic landscape with fields of grain and green pastures. Wheat and other grains are the staples of the region. Due to chilly weather and a cold climate, people rely on a protein-based diet with hearty meat curries made with lamb or chicken. However, the region also boasts a large number of vegetarian communities who source their protein from the vast fields of grain and lentils. Hearty and seasoned vegetables are used for the curries in the North such as spinach, mustard greens, cabbage, cauliflower and radishes.
With Delhi being the seat of the historical rulers, Northern India derives a lot of its traditions from Mughlai cuisine. The curry in North India has a rich and creamy texture from dairy, cream or a mixture of blended nut pastes which adds to the warmth and comfort against the harsh Northern winter. They rely on bringing out the base flavours of the ingredients by using mild earthy spices such as fenugreek, cumin and amchur (dry mango powder).
The famous curries of North India are deeply rooted in their tradition from the Mutton Rogan Josh and the Yakhni (Hearty Lamb Curries) of the Kashmir valley to the world-famous Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani of the Punjabis along with the cultural classics such as Sarson da Saag (Mustard green curry) and Aloo Gobi(Potato and Cauliflower Curry).
South India
Adorned by coconut and palm plantations, South India boasts one of the longest and richest coastlines. With a tropical warm climate, heavy rainfall and vast numerous seafronts, the fertile region is the land of the farmers. Owing to the climate and the sea, the people traditionally eat a lot of vegetables, fruits and fish although they are known to love their occasional lamb or chicken curry. Rice is the staple food of the region enjoyed best with a hot bowl of the spicy and aromatic curries of the South.
Being the hub of trade between Europe and Asia in the early years of the spice trade, South India was blessed with an abundance of spices. As the climate is quite hot, South Indians use spices with more heat because it helps to induce sweat and cool the body down. They rely on flavouring their curries with a generous amount of spices or their traditional spice blends incorporating black peppercorn, cinnamon, mustard seed, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, and dried curry leaves. The base for curries in the South is tropical coconut milk or coconut cream with generous amounts of tamarind or kokum as a sour element.
The South Indian curries are served generously over a warm bed of rice on a banana leaf. The Rasam and the Sambar are the epitomes of cultural diversity with every household having its unique recipe but sharing an equal amount of love for the aromatic lentil curries. From the numerous Coconut & Fish curries of Kerala to the infamous Chettinad Chicken of Tamil Nadu, the complex flavours of South Indian cuisine are as indescribable as their complicated names!
A ladleful of love
Every culture and every household has its own variation to the beauty of curry depending upon the lay of the land, climate, availability of ingredients as well as religious practices. From the hearty and flavourful Mutton Rogan Josh of the valleys of Kashmir to the spicy and aromatic Sambar of the Southern coasts, all of the culture, tradition, values and history of the people is entailed in a warm bowl of a curry best eaten by hand with a company of friends to cherish and tales to enliven. The one thing every culture shares in their curry is a generous serving of love.
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