Traditional Indian Food: What Should Travellers Try?

India is famous for its food, with a wide range of spices, ingredients and cooking styles. Some dishes are rich and spicy, while others are lighter and make greater use of rice, coconut, vegetables or seafood.

Many Indian dishes are now popular around the world, but they often have strong connections to particular places and traditions. Here are some of the dishes India is especially known for.

North India

North Indian food mostly includes breads, lentils, dairy, grilled dishes and rich gravies. Butter chicken is one of the most familiar dishes, with tender chicken in a creamy tomato-based sauce and a warm blend of spices.

Chole bhature is another popular dish, made with spicy chickpea curry and large pieces of deep-fried bread. The bhature is crisp on the outside and soft inside. Tandoori cooking is also common in Punjab and nearby areas, giving dishes such as tandoori chicken a smoky flavour from the high heat of the clay oven.

South India

South Indian food has plenty of rice, lentils, coconut and fresh spices. Dosa is a thin fermented crepe made from rice and lentils. It is usually crisp around the edges and softer in the centre, with sambar and chutneys served alongside it.

Idli is softer and lighter, made by steaming the same basic rice-and-lentil batter. Coconut, curry leaves and seafood are common in Kerala, where dishes often have a fragrant, spicy flavour with plenty of coconut.

Western India

Western India has several distinct food traditions, with plenty of popular street food and vegetarian dishes. Mumbai is famous for vada pav, a spiced potato fritter placed inside a soft bread roll. The fritter is crisp outside and soft inside, and the chutneys and spices give it plenty of flavour.
Gujarat has a strong vegetarian food tradition, with dishes that often combine sweet, salty and spicy flavours. Dhokla, thepla and khandvi are some popular examples. Rajasthan is also known for vegetarian cooking, with dishes that make good use of lentils, wheat and spices. Dal baati churma is a classic example, combining baked wheat balls with lentils and a sweet, crumbly preparation made from wheat.

Eastern India

Bengali food is closely associated with rice, fish and sweets. Many fish dishes use mustard, which gives the food a sharp flavour and a distinctive aroma. Sweets are also an important part of Bengali cooking, with rasgulla and sandesh among the popular choices.

Kolkata has a strong street-food culture too. Kathi rolls are a popular example, with a flatbread wrapped around a seasoned filling. Other local snacks and sweets are easy to find in markets and food stalls around the city.

Food Tells a Story

The interesting part of Indian food is not simply the number of dishes.

Ingredients reflect geography, climate and local traditions. Coconut appears frequently in many coastal cuisines, wheat is important in parts of northern India, and rice plays a major role across much of the south and east.

Spice also does not always mean extreme heat. Indian cooking uses spices for aroma, bitterness, sweetness, earthiness, smokiness and warmth as well as chilli heat.

For travellers, trying regional food can reveal a different side of India that sightseeing alone may not show.

Before travelling, make sure to check the Indian eVisa requirements and other entry requirements for your trip.