World -> Asia

India - Food

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The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (whole wheat flour), and a variety of pulses, the most important of which are chana (bengal gram), toor (pigeon pea or red gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram). Pulses are used almost exclusively in the form of dal, except chana, which is often cooked whole for breakfast and is processed into flour. The most important spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, ginger, coriander and asafoetida. Another very important spice is garam masala which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices, commonly comprised of cardamom, cinnamon and clove. Some leaves are commonly used like tejpat, bay leaf, coriander leaf, and mint leaf. In sweet dishes, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron, and rose petal essence are used.
Traditional Indian food with Poppadom, rice, sauces and yoghurt dips	Indian meal with naan, rice, sauces and yoghurt	Dal in the making
Indian snacks in a Delhi food stall	Variations of barfi in a shop in Delhi	Supari, a mixture of seeds and sweeteners for chewing after a meal; usually includes aniseed or fennel, shredded betel nut, sugar balls, marrow seeds etc