I just couldn’t get enough of India this week! I think you all know I’m obsessed with Indian food, so when fellow travel blogger Rohit offered to write about Indian cuisine I couldn’t say no!

The following is a guest post written by Rohit of Trans India Travels.

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food” – one could not agree more with this quote by George Bernard Shaw. We all have that clear memory of food whose taste lingers in our mind (and taste buds) for a long time.

In a country as diverse as India, every nook and corner has its own tale of culinary art and heritage. The influence of spices add an infinite variety of flavors: sweet, sharp, hot, sour, spicy, aromatic, mild, tart and fragrant while their wafting scents draw people from all over the world.

Here is a list of five popular types of Indian foods to treat your taste buds

This looks incredible! (photo by Hari Prasad Nadig, CC BY-SA 2.0)

1. Pani Puri

Crunchy pani puri will leave your tongue on a roller coaster ride of flavors. The fried hollow puri is filled with a mixture of tamarind water, potato, onion, chickpeas, chili, chat masala and so much more. Choice of sweet or spicy chutney and a variety of spices adds a flavor that is too hard to resist. You simply cannot say no to this perfect evening street snack.

In some areas, tamarind water is replaced with curd and sweet palatable chutney giving rise to the name Dahi (curd) puri. Dahi puris are favorite amongst kids and adults who cannot handle the fiery hot pani puri.

Photo by Rishabh Mathur, CC BY 2.0

2. Jalebi

Imagine yourself on an evening stroll passing through the humdrum of various food stalls on the street. The sight of the golden saffron colored sweet jalebi will leave you drooling over this lip-smacking delicacy. Although it can be at times arrogantly crispy on the surface, underneath lies a soft, fluffy and gooey heart, much like true Indian culture and people.

Renowned as the national sweet of India, it comes in many versions like the Malwa Jalebi of Madhya Pradesh or the Chenna Jalebi of Orissa.

There are two main types of jalebi you can find in India. One which is thicker with a mushy-juicy center can be found in Delhi’s famous Chandni Chowk. The other one is thin and crisper and can be found in Poha-Jalebi of Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Photo by Matt Stabile, CC BY 2.0

3. Lucknow Kebabs

Kebab outlets in Lucknow take happiness to another level. Smeared with a host of Indian spices, crispy on the outside but soft and supple within, these kebabs are served with fiery hot chutneys. This finger licking dish will surely have you coming back for more.

Lucknow is equally endowed with many vegetarian kebabs for those of you who don’t eat meat. Seriously, if you head to India, the street food of Lucknow can’t be missed!

Photo by Soniya Goyal, CC BY-SA 2.0

4. Parathas From Delhi’s Paranthe Wali Gali

Bustling streets, rushing markets and shopkeepers calling out to you, narrow lanes lined up with cycle-rickshaws, rashly driven motorcycles in full frenzy and pedestrians in their own zeal and zest – This is Purani Dilli (Old Delhi) with the renowned Paranthe Wali Gali as its central attraction.

Here you can grab a bite of spicy Papad paratha, or khoya and rabri parathas for those with a sweet tooth.

Deep fried in pure ghees on cast iron kadhais, they are accompanied with a variety of chutneys, pickles, and raitas that will leave you wanting more.

Photo by Roshan Nikam, CC BY 2.0

5. Hyderabadi Dum Biryani

Imagine your delight when you feast your eyes upon the dish of Nizams and the Nawabs in its flavors of saffron, kewra, and cardamom. This blend of Mughlai and Telugu cuisine will blow your mind and tickle your taste buds – the meat so soft that it is programmed to self-destruct on contact with the tongue.

There are 26 varieties of biryani in India and the biryani of Hyderabad itself is made in two different ways. One which is Kacchi biryani, where the meat is soaked in spices all night, unlike the Pakki biryani, where the meat is directly cooked with all the spices.

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If you would love to tingle your taste buds then the above-mentioned delicacies are surely not to be missed. Go ahead, treat your senses to their aromas, close your eyes and have an equally yummy and memorable experience.

Who is Rohit?

Rohit is an avid traveler and blogger. His passion for exploring has taken him to places all around India. The accounts of his travel experiences at Transindiatravels.com act as a guide to other travel enthusiasts.

For more on India travel, follow Rohit on Facebook and Twitter 

Okay…. I’m officially hungry. Have any of you ever tried these Indian delicacies? 

Featured Image by Hari Prasad Nadig, CC BY-SA 2.0. 

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