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The cuisine of the Indian union territory of Pondicherry consists of a mixture of Tamil and French influence, given the history of the area as a former French outpost in India until the late 20th Century. Common foods include baguettes and croissants with coffee for breakfast, ratatouille, coq au vin, bouillabaisse, which all show their French heritage or South Indian meals such as masala dosa, sambar or idli. [1] [2]
While a French colony, the local cuisine was downplayed. "Leaving aside the food of the Indian class, which does most of the time consist of boiled rice seasoned with a scanty patch of grass or fish, we will provide only some details about the European diet. [...]" [3]
Food in Pondicherry is strongly influenced by the French. Salade niçoise, crêpes (both sweet and savoury) and crème brûlée are among popular French dishes still prepared in Pondicherry. [2] Multiple French restaurants are located in the area, including bakeries, cafés, seafood restaurants and traditional French restaurants. [4] There was also much cross-pollination between Pondicherry and South Asia and Vietnam (both were under French control) as people travelled between these two locations for business, for administration and as part of the armed forces. Tamil food was "refined" by French influence, using much less spice. [5] [6]
The cuisine from the neighbouring Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have also influenced the cuisine of Pondicherry. [7] Recently growth of North Indian community at Pondicherry brought many North Indian chaat shops to Pondicherry.
Given the history of the area, local cuisine is a fusion of many cultures. Dosas made like crepes with meat and cheese instead of masala are an example. Chaiyos (a kind of Vietnamese spring roll made from rice flour) also appear in local restaurants. Vindaloo is different than in Goa (a result of the area’s Portuguese past). Prawn malay curry also shows influence from South East Asia. [6] Pondicherrian Fish Assad Curry, a coconut-milk-laden curry, flavoured with anise and curry leaves and finished with a squeeze of lime is a "quintessential" local dish. Bouillabaisse morphed into Meen Puyabaise with turmeric to suit the French palate. With the passage of time, local creole dishes have slowly begun to fade from restaurants in Pondicherry, with some older residents attempting to keep these dishes alive by offering classes in their homes on how to prepare them. [8]
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits.
A dosa is a thin pancake in South Indian cuisine made from a fermented batter of ground black gram (lentil) and rice. Dosas have now become popular elsewhere in South Asia. Dosas are served hot, often with chutney and sambar.
The curry tree, Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii, is a tropical and sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, native to Asia. The plant is also sometimes called sweet neem, though M. koenigii is in a different family to neem, Azadirachta indica, which is in the related family Meliaceae.
Tamil cuisine is a culinary style originating in the southern Indian state Tamil Nadu and other parts of South Asia like Sri Lanka. Both vegetarian cuisine and non-vegetarian cuisine are popular among the Tamil people and have been since ancient times. Meats, along with rice, legumes, and lentils, are also popular. Dairy products and tamarind are used to provide sour flavors. On special occasions, traditional Tamil dishes are served in a traditional manner, using banana leaves in place of utensils. After eating, the banana leaves are then used as a secondary food for cattle. A typical breakfast meal consists of idli or dosa with chutney. Lunch includes Rice, sambar, curd, kuzhambu, and rasam.
Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state.
Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of a community called the Nattukotai Chettiars,or Nagarathars, from the Chettinad region in sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu state in India. Chettinad cuisine is perhaps the most renowned fare in the Tamil Nadu repertoire. It uses a variety of spices and the dishes are made with fresh ground masalas. Chettiars also use a variety of sun-dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments such as dosas, appams, idiyappams, adais and idlis. The Chettiars, through their mercantile contacts with Burma, learnt to prepare a type of rice pudding made with sticky red rice. The chefs of manapatti village near singampuneri are experts in cooking chettinad cuisine. They always used to cook in bulk orders for marriage functions, political functions, e.t.c. though manapatti cooking is portrayed as madurai cuisine because it is located near to madurai district, it comes under chettinad cuisine only and it also comes under the chettinad region of sivagangai district. The entire village people is famous in the art of cooking.
The fast food industry in India has evolved with the changing lifestyles of the young Indian population. The variety of gastronomic preferences across the regions, hereditary or acquired, has brought about different modules across the country.
Udupi cuisine is a cuisine of South India. It forms an important part of Tuluva-Mangalorean cuisine and takes its name from Udupi, a city on the southwest coast of India in the Tulunadu region. Udupi cuisine is strictly vegetarian and has its origin in the Tulu Ashta Mathas of Udupi founded by Madhvacharya.
Indian breads are a wide variety of flatbreads and crêpes which are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Their variation reflects the diversity of Indian culture and food habits.
Indian Chinese cuisine, Indo-Chinese cuisine, Sino-Indian cuisine, Chindian cuisine, Hakka Chinese, Desi-Chinese cuisine or Desi-Chindi cuisine is a distinct fusion culinary style that combines aspects of both Indian and Chinese foods and flavours. Though the cuisines have mixed throughout history through the Silk Road via Tibet, the most popular origin story of the fusion food resides with the Chinese of Calcutta, who immigrated to colonial India looking for better prospects and better lives around 250 years ago. Opening restaurant businesses in the area, these early Chinese immigrants adapted their culinary styles to suit the tastes of their Indian patrons.
South Indian cuisine includes the cuisines of the five southern states of India—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana—and the union territories of Lakshadweep, Pondicherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.There are typically vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes for all five states. Additionally, all regions have typical main dishes, snacks, light meals, desserts, and drinks that are well known in their respective region.
Konkani cuisine is the cuisine of the Saraswat Brahmins from the Konkan region on the western coast of India. Konkani cuisine differs within the Saraswat Brahmin subsects and within the Konkan-Canara region. Konkani cuisine originally hails from the Konkan region including Uttara Kannada, Udupi district, Dakshina Kannada, Damaon, and Goa, India. Konkani cuisine is popular served in many restaurants throughout the western coast of India, and especially in the cities of Bombay and Bangalore. Each variation has its unique flavour and makes uses of different vegetables and fruits available in the region. Konkani cuisine is usually pesco-vegetarian, except acharyas and purohits who follow a strictly saatvik vegetarian diet. According the Konkani folklore, fish, meats are regarded as sea vegetables. Historically, they have refrained from eating any terrestrial animals in general.
Telugu cuisine is a cuisine of South India native to the Telugu people from the states of Andhra & Telangana and Yanam. Generally known for its tangy, hot and spicy taste, the cooking is very diverse due to the vast spread of the people and varied topological regions.
The cuisine of Mauritius is influenced by the tropical location of the island as well as the cultural diversity which characterizes the country. Mauritian cuisine is a blend of African, Chinese, European and Indian influences in the history of Mauritius. Most of the dishes and practices into the culinary traditions are inspired by French culture, former African slaves, and Indian workers and Chinese migrants arriving during the 19th century. Over the years, communities found in Mauritius have adapted and mixed each other's cuisine to their liking, resulting in the development of Mauritian cuisine. While some popular dishes and desserts are consumed by Mauritians of all ethnic groups or communities, there are also form of cuisines which remain distinctly ethnic and are unique to a specific ethnic community due to their ancestral cultural and historical connections. Local food which varies depending on ethnic communities therefore reflects the strong traditional, cultural, and historical influences of each community.
Zambar is a restaurant in Gurgaon, Haryana, northern India, which serves South Indian cuisine. Zambar is situated on the third floor of Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, in a restaurant which is shaped like a long boathouse.
The Thalassery cuisine refers to the distinct cuisine from Thalassery town of northern Kerala, which has blended in Arabian, Persian, Indian and European styles of cooking as a result of its long history as a maritime trading post.
Street food, as in other areas of India, are popular in Chennai, despite the common belief in India that street food is unhealthy. The Idly Sambhar is a popular dish, which is served as breakfast or dinner. Apart from regular South Indian street food, the city's streets are also filled with several North Indian street food outlets, most of them established by North Indian migrants themselves. Gujarati and Burmese are also available. Street food in Chennai is so popular that a game had developed based on the TV show The Amazing Race where contestants have to follow clues to Street-food spots in the city.
Indian Indonesian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Indian cuisine with local Indonesian-style. This cuisine consists of adaptations of authentic dishes from India, as well as original creations inspired by the diverse food culture of Indonesia. Indian influence can be observed in Indonesia as early as the 4th century. Following the spread of Islam to Indonesia and trading, Muslim Indian as well as Arab influences made their way into Indonesian cuisine. Examples include Indian biryani, murtabak, curry and paratha that influenced Acehnese, Minangkabau, Malay, Palembangese, Betawi and Javanese cuisine.
