Blogs and Recipes — Foods of India

Papads, also known as poppadoms, papadams or appalams, are a thin and crispy snack popular in Indian cuisine. They are made from the dough of lentils, rice, or other grains and are usually round or oval-shaped; and are typically served as an accompaniment to meals or enjoyed as a tasty treat on their own.  As someone who loves to snack, I am always on the lookout for tasty and convenient options that are also good for me. That's why I was excited to learn about the various papads available, including ragi, bajra, jowar, rice beetroot, rice ginger garlic, and rice...

India is primarily a farming country. Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. For more than 80% of rural India’s population, agriculture and related activities are their primary source of income. It employs approximately 52 percent of the labor force. We Indians have a special place in our hearts for farming, agriculture, and harvested food, not only economically, but also in many other aspects. As a result of all of the efforts made throughout the entire process, we now have what we eat. A wide range of exceptionally tasteful and healthy foods! India is well-known around the world for...

Monsoon is here, that means the mango season has come to an end and we have to bid the king of fruit goodbye. But the thoughts of mangoes are ever present in our minds and the only way to keep enjoying them is by savoring the mango pickles. India, just like its diversity, also has a variety of mango pickles. Every region has its own version based on the availability of ingredients. For example, in North India the pickle is made with mustard oil but as you move south the oils used are peanut or sesame. However, the majority of...

Since I was a small kid, I had the habit of going over the chocolate wrapping before opening and enjoying it. Although I would not understand the majority of the things, it always intrigued me. I think the hidden food technologist in me always wanted to know how the products were made but those ingredients were hard to decipher just like Doctor’s prescription. Fast forward to the day I started my degree in Food Science, slowly things started to unravel and finally all those numbers and chemicals made sense. But equally, I have come to learn that only a handful of...

  Do you recall those happy summer vacations when every house in the society smelled pickle-full and delighted? Making that delicious and colorful pickle for all of the family members used to be a once-a-year task. Opening a jar of pickles has always been a joyous occasion. To begin, the aromas of the spices transport me back to my childhood. I smell the fiery peppers soon after, and the bright red and green fruit peeks out of the mixture! Pickle making has been widely practiced in India and is known by different names across the country – Uppinakaayi in Kannada,...

Did you know why every Indian dish is incomplete without a tadka of cumin or mustard seeds? That’s because a tempering of hot oil efficiently absorbs all the nutrients from the spices being used for the preparation! While we might undermine our mother’s labour or take her for granted, she has been making sure from generations that we don’t have to pay monthly visits to a doctor for nutritional deficiencies. Traditional food products are essential on a social, cultural, and economic level. Traditional foods serve a vital role in providing food security and have the ability to reduce malnutrition. For...