Food in India

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home." - James Michener

Thus far, my posts have centered around the newness of India,the temples, the customs, the people. But not this post. This post, my friends, is dedicated to something else our group experienced in India--food.

I will admit that I was nervous about eating in India, as per the warnings of "Delhi belly". Before going I had a running list of common culprits: no lettuce, no uncooked vegetables, only fruits that you peel, nothing but filtered water, think twice before buying from a street vendor...

By the end of the trip, however, I had a new list, this time of foods that I had enjoyed and would miss when back in the States.

The first place food, the one that takes the cake, the one that I will find myself missing once I am back stateside is actually not a food at all, but rather a tea. Chai masala is an tea made from boiled ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. At the end of this process, whole milk is added to make this delicious concoction. I'm thinking Starbucks could learn a thing or two from an Indian street vendor on how to make a chai tea.

Here are some other really interesting runners up:

The Indian milkshakes that our group was served at the vegetarian restaurant by the Krishna temple. In this case, looks are not deceiving...the green one tasted as bad as it looks. I didn't quite catch exactly what was in it, but those are fried chickpeas floating on the top. The middle one was vanilla, and was nothing like an ice cream milkshake. It was slightly cooled and was more like a drinkable yogurt. The one on the right was a savory milkshake. The jury's still out on this one.

The three amigo milkshakes

An Indian breakfast usually includes baranta bread, which is like a potato pancake, with some spicy chutneys, pickles, and yogurt for dipping. My breakfast food, thought, was the spicy tomato.

Tomatoes...my favorite food!

Vegetarian Appetizers at the restaurant by the Krishna temple. This restaurant, along with many others does not use onions or garlic in the food. Why is this? Many Hindus follow a diet in which they only consume foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, legumes, and some herbs. Onions and garlic are not in this category, but instead are classified as tamasic foods that increase heat in the body, which disturbs meditation. Onions and garlic are also considered unfit to use as an offering to a god.

From the top left: Indian version of a cheese curd, sweet potato wedges, and fried cauliflower with peppers.

The samosa was my plane buddy's recommendation. They remind me of turnovers filled with potatoes, peas, spices, and sometimes nuts. You can't beat them when they are served piping hot.

Chicken samosas

One of the sweetest desserts was Rava Ladoo, which we also had at the vegetarian restaurant near the Krishna temple. These cookie-like sweets are made with semolina, butter, sugar, raisins, and saffron, and taste graham cracker pie crust.

Rava Ladoo

Indians love their sweets, and another popular one is the orange mush on the left, called Gajar ka halwa. It tastes like carrot cake.

Gajar ka halwa

Paneer dishes, shown on the top right. Paneer is a type of cheese traditionally used in Indian cuisine, and is a typical source of protein in a vegetarian diet. Mattar Paneer, on the top right, is a popular example made of paneer and peas with a sauce that is both spicy and sweet.

Mattar Paneer

The unidentifiable...foods you just have to try. Preferably with naan.

From top left: yellow mush, orange mush, green mush, rice, naan.

And the worst food award goes to...anise seeds. At the end of the meal, they passed around anise seed, which is a black-licorice flavored seed. There was a green sugar coating, and it is used to cleanse your palate after a meal. I tried it just to say I had, but won’t be reaching for it again anytime soon.

Anise seeds

Some side notes on dining in India:

• Be wary of peppers. These aren't your average jalapeno.
• Ketchup! Everywhere. We had a corporate visit at Infosys, and they served ketchup with potato chips and sandwiches for dipping.
• Anything vanilla flavored is worth your while.
• Milk is simply milk. One kind. If you ask for 2%, they'd probably think you're bargaining for a 2% discount on your breakfast.
• Your eyes will nearly always be bigger than your stomach. Indian food is filling.
• It's a bit of a social faux pas not to finish food, so take small helpings.