South Asian cuisine includes the cuisines from the Indian subcontinent comprising the traditional cuisines from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives and when included in the definition, also that of Afghanistan.
Video South Asian cuisine
Staples and common ingredients
Chapati, a type of flat bread from the former regions, is a common part of meals to be had in many parts of Indian subcontinent. Other staples from many of the cuisines include rice, roti made from atta flour, and beans.
Foods in this area of the world are flavoured with various types of chilli, black pepper, cloves, and other strong herbs and spices along with the flavoured butter ghee. Ginger is an ingredient that can be used in both savory and sweet recipes in South Asian cuisine. Chopped ginger is fried with meat and pickled ginger is often an accompaniment to boiled rice. Ginger juice and ginger boiled in syrup are used to make desserts. Turmeric and cumin are often used to make curries.
Common meats include lamb, goat, fish and chicken. Beef is less common than in Western cuisines because cattle have a special place in Hinduism. Prohibitions against beef extend to the meat of (water) buffalo and yaks to some extent. Pork is considered as a taboo food item by all Muslims and is avoided by most Hindus, though it is commonly eaten in Goa, which has a notable Roman Catholic population from Portuguese rule. A variety of very sweet desserts which use dairy products is also found in South Asian cuisines. The main ingredients to South Asian desserts are reduced milk, ground almonds, lentil flour, ghee and sugar. Kheer is a dairy based rice pudding, a popular and common dessert.
Maps South Asian cuisine
History
Many of India's foods go back as far as five thousand years. The Indus Valley peoples, who settled in what is now Northwestern South Asia, hunted turtles and alligator. They also collected wild grains, herbs and plants. Many foods and ingredients from the Indus period (c. 3000-1500 B.C.) are still common today. Some consist of wheat, barley, rice, tamarind, eggplant, and cucumber. The Indus Valley peoples cooked with oils, ginger, salt, green peppers, and turmeric root, which would be dried and ground into an orange powder.
Indians have used leafy vegetables, lentils, and milk products such as yogurt and ghee all along their history. They also used spices such as cumin and coriander. Black pepper which is native to India was often used by 400 A.D. The Greeks brought saffron and the Chinese introduced tea. The Portuguese and British made red chili, potato and cauliflower popular after 1700 A.D. Mughals, who began arriving in India after 1200, saw food as an art and many of their dishes are cooked with as many as twenty-five spices. They also used rose water, cashews, raisins, and almonds.
List of South Asian cuisines
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- Afghan cuisine
Afghan cuisine is dominated by Pashtun cuisine and, has similarities with both Central Asian culinary styles as well as with the other South Asian cuisines.
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- Balochi cuisine
- Pashtun cuisine
- Tajik cuisine
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- Bangladeshi cuisine
Bangladeshi cuisine is dominated by mostly by Bengali cuisine.some areas like Dhaka city also, specialize in Mughlai cuisine. Southeastern parts of Bangladesh especially the Chittagong region is highly influenced by Burmese cuisine.
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- Bhutanese cuisine
Bhutanese cuisine employs a lot of red rice (like brown rice in texture, but with a nutty taste, the only variety of rice that grows at high altitudes), buckwheat, and increasingly maize. The diet in the hills also includes chicken, yak meat, dried beef, pork, pork fat, and mutton.It has many similarities with Tibetan cuisine
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- Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine is characterized by its sophisticated and subtle use of many Indian spicesThere is also the widespread practice of vegetarianism across its society although, overall a minority.Indian cuisine is one of the world's most diverse cuisines, each family of this cuisine is characterized by a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. As a consequence, Indian cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse Indian subcontinent.India's religious beliefs and culture has played an influential role in the evolution of its cuisine.It has influences from Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian, East Asian, and Central Asian, as well as the Mediterranean cuisines due to the historical and contemporary cross-cultural interactions with these neighboring regions.
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- North Indian cuisines
- Awadhi cuisine
- Bihari cuisine
- Bhojpuri cuisine
- Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh
- Himachali cuisine
- Kashmiri cuisine
- Kumauni cuisine
- Ladakhi cuisine
- Mughlai cuisine
- Punjabi cuisine
- Rajasthani cuisine
- North Indian cuisines
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- South Indian cuisines
- Chettinad cuisine
- Dhivehi cuisine(Minicoy)
- Hyderabadi cuisine
- Kerala cuisine
- Karnataka cuisine
- Mangalorean cuisine
- Tamil cuisine
- Telugu cuisine
- Thalassery Cuisine
- Udupi cuisine
- South Indian cuisines
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- East Indian cuisines
- Bengali cuisine
- Cuisine of Chhattisgarh
- Gorkha cuisine
- Cuisine of Jharkhand
- Maithil cuisine
- Odia cuisine
- East Indian cuisines
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- North East Indian cuisines
- Assamese cuisine
- Cuisine of Arunachal Pradesh
- Cuisine of Meghalaya
- Meitei Cuisine
- Naga cuisine
- Sikkimese cuisine
- Tripuri cuisine
- North East Indian cuisines
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- West Indian cuisines
- Goan cuisine
- Gujarati cuisine
- Maharashtrian cuisine
- Malvani cuisine
- Parsi cuisine
- Sindhi cuisine
- Thathai Bhatia Cuisine
- West Indian cuisines
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- Other Indian cuisines
- Indian Chinese cuisine
- Jain (Satvika)
- Indian fast food
- Other Indian cuisines
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- Maldivian cuisine
Maldivian cuisine also called Dhivehi cuisine is the cuisine of the Nation of Maldives and of Minicoy,India. The traditional cuisine of Maldivians is based on three main items and their derivatives: coconuts, fish and starches.
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- Nepalese cuisine
Nepalese cuisine comprises a variety of cuisines based upon ethnicity, soil and climate relating to Nepal's cultural diversity and geography.Dal-bhat-tarkari (Nepali: ??? ??? ??????) is eaten throughout Nepal.Nepali cuisine has significant influences from Neighboring Indian and Tibetan cuisines.
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- Newari cuisine
- Tibetan cuisine
- Maithil cuisine
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- Pakistani cuisine
Pakistani cuisine (Urdu: ???????? ???????) is part of the greater South Asian and Central Asian Cuisines due to its geographic location. As a result of Mughal legacy, Pakistan also mutually inherited many recipes and dishes from that era alongside India.
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- Regional cuisines
- Balochi cuisine
- Chitrali cuisine
- Kalash cuisine
- Lahori cuisine
- Muhajir cuisine
- Pashtun cuisine
- Punjabi cuisine
- Saraiki cuisine
- Sindhi cuisine
- Regional cuisines
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- Other Pakistani cuisines
- Pakistani Chinese cuisine
- Mughlai cuisine(Karachi)
- Pakistani fast food
- Other Pakistani cuisines
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- Sri Lankan cuisine
Sri Lankan cuisine has been shaped by many historical, cultural, and other factors. Foreign traders who brought new food items; influences from Indonesian cuisine and South Indian cuisine are evident.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia