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Much like its culture, Indian food has been influenced by many civilizations, which have contributed to the present day cuisine that can be found throughout one of the world’s oldest, largest, and most populous countries.
Our personal travel managers have complied a list of regions to visit as they take you on a culinary journey of India’s finest cuisines.
Punjab
India’s northern state of Punjab is known as the Land of Five Rivers, or the Golden Harvest, due to its fertile plains.
Wheat is the staple food of Punjab with onion, ginger and garlic used extensively to enhance the taste of food in the region.
The restaurants of Punjab incorporate Desi Ghee (clarified butter) and sunflower oil, with the most popular dishes including Lassi (sweetened buttermilk), Murgh Musallum (chicken curry) and Amritsari Machhli (fried fish).
Maharashtra
The third largest state in India is located on the west coast and home to beaches, mountains, temples forests and cities including Mumbai.
Covering a range of dishes from the mild to the ultra-zesty, a clear favourite is Vada Pav – a potato fritter stuffed between bread buns, served with tangy chutney and green chillies.
Other flavours to try while you’re visiting include Pav-Bhaji (vegetable curry), Shrikhand (strained yoghurt) and Puran Poli (sweet flatbread).
Rajasthan
Rajasthan in the northwest has a wealth of deserts and palaces, however the native cuisine can be considered one of its most interesting attractions.
Dishes in Rajasthan are primarily vegetarian, offering high spice content and incorporating ghee into most recipes. Sweets are also a popular staple of the Rajasthan diet and are enjoyed before, during and after meals.
You can’t go past Ghevar (flour and soaked sugar sweet), Pyaaz Ki Kachori (fried spiced onion) and Kalakand (sweetened milk and cottage cheese).
West Bengal
With a long-standing and colourful history, the staple food of West Bengal in India’s east near Bangladesh is fish. Having a plentiful supply of fish nearby, most households cook it almost daily and deep-fry it in mustard oil and gravy to give it its distinctive flavour.
West Bengali cuisine is appreciated worldwide for using Panch phoron (five essential spices including mustard, fenugreek, cumin, aniseed and black cumin) across its dishes.
Treat your palate with Doi Maach (fish curry), Daab Chingri (mustard and coconut infused prawns) and Rasgulla (syrupy dessert with semolina base).
Sikkim
Tucked between Nepal and Bhutan, the roots of these neighbouring countries largely influence the cuisine in the state of Sikkim.
Sikkim is the least populated and second smallest state in India with K2 – the third highest mountain in the world – acting as its backdrop.
A typical diet in the day of a Sikkimese consists of Dal Bhat (lentils and rice) with meat for breakfast, a light lunch of momos (dumpling with spiced vegetable filling) and noodles for an early dinner.
Delight in the local dishes of Phagshapa (pork with chillies and radish), Gundruk (fermented leafy green vegetable) and Thukpa (a noodle soup with Tibetan origins).
Feeling hungry yet?
Speak to one of our personal travel managers today and book your next delicious Indian holiday.
TravelManagers respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands where we work and gather, and those we visit.
