as we know it today was introduced to India by the British. The Dutch had brought tea back to Europe from the 17th century, and the British considered it to be both a medicinal and a refreshing drink.
China was the only country growing tea at the time, and the British wanted to topple China’s monopoly. So, they smuggled opium into China with the aim of exchanging it for tea and even got Bengali farmers to grow opium for them instead of staple crops needed to feed the masses. This did not impress the Chinese.
Early tea plantations were set up in the hilly regions of Assam from 1837. Soon after, tea estates mushroomed in Darjeeling. Both these eastern areas had perfect growing conditions, and even today, driving through the beautiful mountain roads, you can only admire the step plantations carved into every hillside.
In India, everything needs to be spiced with masala, so it isn’t surprising that the brew was enhanced with ginger, cardamom, and fennel seeds to make Masala Chai (Spiced Tea; see Chapter 21). The Indian word for tea is chai, and I’ve heard it comes from the Chinese word cha. This delicious brew has caught the world’s fancy (although strangely called chai tea, which translates as “tea tea,” in the West) and seems to be a much-loved flavor in lattes and ice creams.
Kolkata and Bengali sweets
The mere mention of Indian sweets, and I see eyes being rolled and a muttered, “Too sweet for me.” Most people not of Indian origin think of all Indian sweets as being cloying. But wait, have you ever had a box of chocolates? It’s the same principle: Commercially available sweets have a lot of sugar to increase their shelf life. Indian homemade desserts are subtly flavored confections (see Chapter 21 for some easy and delicious recipes) bursting with fruit, milk, spice, and all things nice.
The eastern state of Bengal is particularly known for its sweet offerings. According to historians, the original name of the area was Gauda, derived from the Sanskrit word for jaggery, the sweet, thickened juice of sugarcane. Because this crop grew here in plenty, and old texts affirm this, it can be safely said that sweets were an important part of the cuisine for several centuries.
But Bengali sweets are unlike those of anywhere else in the country, mainly because many are made with cottage cheese as a base. I’ve heard that the Portuguese, who were in India before the British, brought the skill of cheese making to Bengal. The Hindus considered the curdling of milk taboo, but that didn’t stop them from falling in love with the resulting delicacies. They quickly created recipes using fresh cottage cheese, spices, sugar, and nuts and produced pillowy-soft confections that melted in the mouth and left you wanting more. As these began to be mass produced in factories, the sugar content increased. Today, the gulab jamuns and ras malai you see on Indian restaurant menus have set the stage for everyone thinking that all Indian sweets are syrupy sweet.
Odisha and fish with everything
The state of Odisha enjoys a long coastline along the Bay of Bengal, so it’s hardly surprising that fish features regularly on many dinner tables there. Lying on the east coast, Odisha nestles between the South and the North, so the food is inspired by both. The Northern part of Odisha, which borders Bengal, uses mustard paste in curries, whereas southern districts use tamarind, in keeping with South Indian traditions.
I don’t hear people around the world talk much about Odia cooking, but this state has produced some of the best cooks of the East. They’re known for a simple yet flavorful style, so they’re in high demand in other parts of India. Many centuries ago, Odisha built maritime trade ties with Bali in Indonesia, and no doubt they also introduced Indian spices and curry pastes to that land.
The South: Of Temples, Coconut Groves, and Spice Routes
I think of the South as the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Goa. Each has a unique cuisine, with a few similarities because of what crops grow there and the climate they share.
Sacred foods
All food is considered sacred in India. Nature is worshipped for its generosity, and many ingredients that come from the earth are revered. Wasting food is seen as an insult to the benevolence we are blessed with. Rice, for example, is seen as a staple that can feed countless people and is associated with abundance. Turmeric, the spice, has been valued for its healing properties for centuries and is used in rituals of cleansing and purification.
Invasions through land routes preceded those from sea routes, which were discovered much later. Southern India is surrounded by sea, so it saw relatively fewer foreign invasions, and the ones it did see came later than in the North. It’s believed that the native culture of India, both religious and spiritual, is better preserved in the South. Because religion is so pervasive through every aspect of life in India, the food here is also influenced by these beliefs.
South India is well known for its many beautifully sculpted temples. On many of my travels to these temples, I’ve found, to my great delight, sculptures of ancient foods that were served to devotees who visited or given as offerings to the gods. Some of these carvings are 800 years old and seem like a novel way to preserve the region’s culinary heritage!
Goa and the Portuguese influence
Although most people think of Goa as a beach holiday destination, its culinary history is fascinating for what it did to all food in India. As the demand for spices grew in the Western world, Europeans set out in search of the lands that grew them. The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reached the Malabar Coast in Kerala in 1498 and opened the routes for the spice trade.
The Portuguese invaded Goa in 1510 and brought great changes to the cuisine and culture of the region. Many Hindus were converted to Christianity, and people who had earlier not eaten beef and pork began to cook these foods in their homes.
The Portuguese brought to India many ingredients that some people may think are native. Chilies, cashews, potatoes, and tomatoes forever changed the way recipes were prepared. Chilies replaced black pepper, and today, tons of chilies grow all over India, finding their way into almost every savory dish.
Leavened bread called pao is another Portuguese food that has endured over the centuries. It’s eaten dipped into sweet tea for breakfast or with curries like the vindaloo, another Portuguese-inspired Goan dish. Made up of the Portuguese words for wine and garlic — vino and alho, respectively — the dish has been interpreted by Indian restaurants around the world as the hottest curry on the menu. People outside India may think of it as being one of the country’s best loved curries, so predictable and constant is its presence on menus. In India, it’s a tangy, hot curry spiced with chilies, vinegar, and spices that is eaten locally in Goa and is not ubiquitously popular all over the country.
Kerala and its Hindu, Christian, and Muslim cooking
Kerala, which means “land of coconuts,” is one of the best places to visit if you love Indian food but want more than the usual tikka and korma. A small state with the hilly Western Ghats on one side and the azure Arabian Sea on the other, its cuisine is inspired by its 560 miles of backwaters. On the banks of these intricate waterways grow coconuts, bananas, and spices such as pepper and cardamom. The backwaters also provide Kerala’s best delicacy, a silvery-black fish called karimeen
