6 Indian Food Myths and Truths - What is True and What is Not?

For the first time many Indian meals and recipes carry the age-old idea (read myth) about the food of India. In the article below, learn the facts and background of some myths and some truths about Indian food.

All Indian food is spicy

Although Indian cooking tends to be hotter and spicier than European or Western cooking, there are many regions in India where food is sweet, even sweet. If you want to eat something less spicy, try some Gujarati dishes.

There is a touch of sweetness in almost all the dishes in Gujarati Indian cuisine in Amsterdam. Traditional South Indian cooking (except in Andhra Pradesh) is generally less spicy than in other regions of India. Kashmiri cuisine also includes sweet flavoured dishes in its menu. So when someone tells you that Indian food is spicy, don't believe them completely.

Indian food is only vegetarian

This is partially true. Hindus being the majority community in India are mostly vegetarian. However, there are so many different sub-sects with Hinduism, that many of them follow their own food practices.

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Contrary to popular belief, many Indians are meat eaters and cook them well. Chicken dishes are probably the most popular meat dishes in India. Cow is considered a sacred animal and Hindus abstain from it, although Muslims and Christians eat beef. Seafood is also popular in the coastal areas like Goa, Mangalore, Kerala, West Bengal and others.

There is no diversity in Indian cooking

Many, especially foreigners and first-time visitors to India are of the opinion that there are not many options in Indian food. Indian cuisine is probably the most diverse food-culture in the world!

With over 29 states (counties), each region of India has its own unique style and taste. Add to this, the many ethnic groups that have had their own cuisine for generations. While the North Indian regions prefer roti (Indian bread) as their main dish, in South India rice is a mandatory addition to the daily menu. Some of the typical regional cuisines of India include Udupi cuisine (from Karnataka), North-Eastern cuisine, Chettinad cuisine (from Tamil Nadu) and Marwari cuisine.

Indian food = Chicken Tikka

This is a popular myth made famous by ethnic Indians in England. Chicken Tikka was originally a Persian dish brought to India by the Mughals. It was later adopted by the people of Punjab (in India and Pakistan). They made their own version of chicken tikka and took the recipe with them when many of them moved and settled in Britain. Although it is highly popular in the UK, it is not so much in India where it has to compete with hundreds of other local dishes.

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Indian food is all about curry

Curry is something that was again popularized by British-South Asian ethnic groups. While in foreign countries curry may refer to a thick and spicy gravy dish, India takes on a different meaning. In South India, curry may refer to a vegetable side-dish that is often served with rice.

These are usually fried vegetables without gravy. Curry, in Tamil Nadu, in South India actually means meat - either as a gravy or as a fried dish. British curry is derived from the Tamil word for curry. In North India and other popular forms of Indian cooking, the word curry is not used as popularly. Sabzi or masala are general terms for gravy dishes in Indian cuisine.

Indians eat food with their hands

Sometimes the practice of eating food by hand is shocking to a visitor to India. This is true because Indians consider eating with their hands to be delicious and ritualistic. Also, most Indian dishes are difficult to eat with a fork and spoon. Today many Indians use their hands as well as forks and spoons.

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You will also see that in some Indian regions food is served on a banana leaf or a betel leaf. These traditions have been passed down to families over many generations and many modern Indians continue to follow it despite caste differences.