| With no fear of overstatement we can say that Indian | | | | Indians like to nourish themselves using their hands. |
| cuisine is full of contrasts. The main principle here is | | | | Well, it is only the right hand that is used for eating, the |
| that the dishes served in India often vary in color, | | | | left is considered to be 'unclean'. With the right hand, |
| texture and flavor. For instance, if a meat has a lot of | | | | Indians break pieces of bread and then use the pieces |
| sauce, then it is usually served with a 'dry' vegetable | | | | to scoop up some meat or vegetable. With it, they |
| that doesn't have any sauce with it. If the vegetable | | | | also form neat morsels out of rice and other |
| that is served is very soft, for example, spinach, then | | | | accompanying dishes and then transport them to their |
| there is a crunchy relish around on the table. But all in | | | | mouths. It's needless to say that hands must be |
| all, in spite of this variety in color, texture and flavor, | | | | washed before and after eating. Even the humblest of |
| Indian recipes are usually low-fat and often spicy. | | | | roadside stalls will have a lota (that's a water vessel) |
| In general, a typical Indian meal consists of a vegetable | | | | of water for washing first. Though, there are more |
| dish, a meat, bread and/or rice, a pulse dish, a plain | | | | westernized Indians who may use knives and forks or |
| yoghurt (or yoghurt relish), and a fresh chutney or | | | | spoons and forks, or just forks. |
| small, relish-like salad. Some pickles and preserved | | | | When Indians serve themselves, they put most foods |
| chutneys may be added if you have them. Fruit rather | | | | beside each other on their plates. Only very wet, |
| than desserts is served at the end of a meal, although | | | | flowing dishes are sometimes ladled on top of the rice |
| on festive occasions sweets would not be at all amiss. | | | | but not on top of all the rice. Some of the rice is left |
| Sometimes, when the meat dish is particularly elegant | | | | plain in order to combine it with other dishes while |
| and rich, no pulses are usually served but an equally | | | | eating. |
| elegant pullao rice. As for vegetarians (there's pretty a | | | | Indian food is one of the most popular in the world. Of |
| number of them in India), they prefer to increase the | | | | course, some things about Indian cuisine (as well as |
| number of vegetable and pulse dishes and always | | | | Indians) may seem unusual for us, but it's a matter of |
| have some yoghurt in this or that form. | | | | cultural specificity and charm. |
| As for the manner in which the food is eaten, most | | | | |