South Indian Cuisine: An Important Part Of Indian Cuisine

Considered as one of the most diverse cuisines in the world, Indian cuisine is dominated by the use of spices, vegetable, grains and fruits that are grown in abundance all over the country. The cuisine of each region is different and unique; encompassing a wide range of cooking techniques and dishes of various flavors and taste. This diversity in cooking truly represents the ethnic and cultural diversity of the country. In addition, India's religious beliefs and culture has also impacted the nature and type of cuisine at every stage. For example as vegetarianism is popular among many Hinduism Buddhist and Jain communities, vegetarian dishes are immensely popular throughout the country as well. 

Today, Indian cuisines is considered as one of the most popular cuisine in the world. It is today enjoyed by not just Indian people but also by people across North America, Europe, Australia and Africa. Because of extensive immigration and intermingling of cultures, Indian cuisines has been influenced by various elements. Additionally, the diverse climate of India which ranges from tropical to alpine, has provided people with a wide range of ingredients to enhance and improve their cooking styles and techniques. Based on the region, Indian cuisine is divided into North, South, East and West. 

South Indian cuisines is based on dishes from Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Dishes from Tamil Nadu, particularly idlis, dosas, sambar and vada has today become immensely popular not just in India but in the entire world as well. Besides these immensely popular classic dishes, South Indian cuisines offers a number of other extravagant and popular dishes as well. Almost all the food items of this region is dominated by generous amount of spices and coconuts that are grown across all the four states. The final tempering with oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried red chillies and urad dal is almost constant for all the dishes in this region. In Kerala, the Malabar coast has become synonymous with its use of spices that even lured many foreign invaders like the Dutch, french and English. Cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are just some of the few spices that are found in abundance in South India. The cuisine from Andra Pradesh on the other hand was deeply influenced by the Mughal rule and is known for their spiciness and hotness. The kebabs and biryanis of this region have today achieved cult status around the world.

The growing popularity of these South Indian dishes have led to the rise of many prominent South Indian Restaurant on both the national and global scale. These restaurants are based on the most authentic South Indian cuisines and are aimed at helping people taste and discover various dishes within this diverse cuisine. In addition, the menu of of these South Indian restaurants are diverse and they have a wide variety of meals and snacks for customers at almost any time of the day. This makes South Indian restaurant, the ideal place for family and friends to come together and share a meal in a modern and contemporary environment.

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Vegetarian Dishes: An Integral Aspect Of South Indian Cuisines

Vegetarianism is today becoming immensely popular among various sections and communities of people. This can be due to a number of reasons from the need to preserve Earth's natural resources to animal lovers who are ethically opposed to eating them. So why is it a good idea to adopt vegetarism? First and foremost there is an abudance of scientific research that proves that there are various health and environmental benefits of adopting a vegetarian diet. According to studies, an estimated 70 per cent of all diseases including one-third of all cancer are completely dependent on diet. According to a study conducted by the Loma Linda University, vegetarians live almost seven years longer, and vegans almost fifteen years longer, than meat eaters. 

This is because fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidant nutrients that protect the heart and its arteries while most animal food products contain a lot of dietary saturated fat and cholesterol which can prove harmful in the long run. In other words, a vegetarian diet greatly reduces the risk of chronic regenrative diseases like obesity, cornoray disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even certain type of cancer like colon, breast, stomach and cancer. 

Secondly, the mass production of meat damages the environment to a great extent. So switching to a vegetarian diet can indeed help to reduce this damage in an effective way. Approximately 70 per cent of the grain crop in the US is used for feeding animals that will be eventually killed for food. In other words, it takes 15 pounds of feed to generate 1 pound of meat, and if this same amount of grain were given directly to people, we could combat hunger in a much effective way. Animal farming also generates significant amounts of nitrous oxide and methane, which in turn causes a global warming on a massive scale. That is why giving up meat even on a weekly basis can go a long way in helping to preserving human health on one hand and improving ennvironment on the other hand.

This growing interest in vegetarianism today has promoted the growth and emergence of many vegetarian restaurants not just in India but around the world as well. With so many advanced features and facilities,South Indian Vegetarian Dining are becoming extremely popular as well. Offering customers a variety of cuisines from South Indian to Mughlai, these restaurants are extremely international and modern in their style. In addition, South Indian cuisine which is gaining acceptance not just on a national but global stage is becoming increasingly popular as well. 

This is also due to the fact that South Indian cuisine has a number of vegetarian dishes like idli sambar, dosa, uthampas, Authentic Coconut Chutney and rasam that are extremely delicious, mouth watering and healthy. These South Indian vegetarian dining offer the best facilities, making them an ideal place for family and friends as well. The increasing number of South Indian vegetarian dining units around the country is valid proof that South Indian cuisines is being appreciated by various categories of people who like to enjoy their meals in a modern yet contemporary environment. 

Source: goarticles.com/article/Vegetarian-Dishes-An-Integral-Aspect-Of-South-Indian-Cuisines/9437973/

The Significance Of Spices In Cooking

A broad term used to describe herbal by-products, spices are used to add flavor and serve as aesthetic, aromatic and therapeutic treatment to food items. Spices are made from natural sources like leaves, flowers, roots, barks or nuts of a plant. Also, spices are generally dried and ground before they are mixed with other ingredients and then finally added to various types of dishes. Spices appeal to all the five human sense and have been an integral part of cooking since time immemorial. In addition, spices have also played an integral role in the cuisine of various countries especially India. So while spices are used in almost all regions of India, South Indian food uses them in the most creative and enhanced manner. This is because South India is one of the biggest manufacturer and exporters of spices in the world and this is truly depicted in their dishes as well. In other words, because of the easy availability of spices, a number of South Indian food recipes uses a wide variety of spices in almost all their dishes and food items.

The history of spices can be traced back to the Middle Ages particularly that of nutmeg and garlic. Trading spices among different cultures and countries in the early centuries was a means of dominating the world economy, to the point that many expeditions were undertaken for this purpose. As the spices were discovered, continents like North and South America were also discovered, giving a massive impetus to trade and commerce in the global sense. In 1497 the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama discovered a sea route around the southern tip of Africa, eventually reaching Kozhikode on the southwest coast of India in 1498. Da Gama returned from his voyage with a cargo of nutmegs, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and peppercorns. Later on in the Middle Ages, spices become as valuable in Europe as gold and precious stones and the single most important force in the economy of the world.  Also fierce competition among European nations for control of the spice trade was the driving force behind the colonization of India and other Asian lands. Additionally, the lack of refrigeration and poor standards of hygiene meant that spices were very useful in helping to mask the flavor of preserved food. Later, as spices become common and economical, it began to be used in a number of household for enhancing and improving the flavor of dishes. Today spices have become extremely common in homes around the world and are an essential element in many cooking techniques as well. 

As mentioned above, spices are an essential part of Indian cuisine particularly authentic South Indian cuisine which is known for its extravagant and popular use of various types of spices. Many vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes of South India like sambar, rasam, biryanis use a lot of spices in order to improve the taste and flavor of the dishes. Further, many South Indian Cuisine Restaurants also prepare dishes using popular spices in order to retain the authentic taste and flavor. In short, spices are today extremely popular and well-known, making them one of the most important elements of not just South Indian food, but of global cuisine as well.

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