The North of India is a vast region consisting of 11 different states, each with its own distinct culture. Each region also has its own specific recipes and cooking styles, and the differences between North Indian cuisines are, at times, very stark. However, there are some common ingredients and features as well, and it goes without saying that these various cuisines are all influenced by each other in some way or the other. Here are some broad features associated with North Indian cuisine.
 
Local Breads and Rice
 
One common factor amongst most Northern cuisines is that on a day-to-day basis, local breads are preferred to rice as a staple. There is incredible variety in North Indian breads. On the simpler side, there are dry chapattis, which are like flat and circular pancakes prepared from whole wheat dough and cooked on a girdle. It is common for people to have 3-4 chapattis with each meal. Tandoori roti is a similar dry bread prepared in a clay oven known as a tandoor. Naan, paranthas and kulchas are heavier breads, and usually consist of oil, butter, seasonings and even vegetarian and non-vegetarian fillings. They may be cooked on a girdle or in a tandoor.
 
This is not to say that North Indians don’t enjoy rice. However, rice preparations are usually elaborate and expensive, and reserved for special occasions. Biryani and Pulao, the two different ways to cook rice, involve a range of ingredients including vegetables, herbs and spices. Kashmir is especially famous for its Biryani.
 
Vegetables
 
Thanks to its extreme climate in both summer and winter, and the abundance of mountains and plains, the North of India is home to a wide array of fruits and vegetables. Consequently, there is incredible variety in the vegetarian dishes cooked in various North Indian cuisines. Potatoes, brinjal, various kinds of gourds, ladyfinger, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots and various kinds of spinach can easily be procured from any modest vegetable cart. A typical meal consists of 1-2 main dishes, and the vegetables are either cooked in slightly thick and moderately spiced curries, or dry.
 
Dairy
 
Dairy products and milk itself are very common and well loved all over North India. It is no wonder then that paneer or cottage cheese is the most coveted vegetarian delicacy for most North Indian people. Apart from this, other milk products such as yoghurt, ghee (clarified butter) and butter are indispensable to North Indian cooking. There are countless desserts and drinks as well that are prepared using milk and dairy products.
 
Desserts
 
Desserts deserve a more elaborate mention, considering that most Indians have a sweet tooth! Winters are bitterly cold, and summers are excruciatingly hot and dry, so the desserts of each season are very different. During the winter months, Indians love hot desserts such as Gulab Jamun, which are dumplings made of reduced milk, served dripping with steaming hot rose-flavored sugar syrup. Hot carrot pudding (gajar halwa), deep fried jalebis and a local pancake known as malpua are also common during the season.
 
The summer brings ras malai (sweetened cottage cheese dumplings dipped in thickened flavored milk) and a local ice-cream known as kulfi, amongst a range of other desserts. However, there are also various desserts that are not season specific, such as a rice-and-milk pudding known as kheer, and a wide range of dry or milk-based sweets collectively known as mithai. Trying to list the various kinds of mithai in the North Indian cuisine will be as futile as listing all the different chocolates of the world!
 
So, make no mistake, North India is a food lover’s paradise!




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