10 Things You Didn’t Know About Indian Food

September 21, 2016

Indian food has become a staple of British society over the past few decades. A hot, spicy curry is one of the nation’s favourite dishes, and we all love a crunchy onion bhaji or a plate full of poppadoms to go with it. Indian cuisine offers so many options for diners that sometimes it can be difficult to decide on what to order, and there is so much to learn about Indian culture that we could sit here and talk to you all day about it. Don’t worry, we’re not going to do that.

However, such is the world of Indian cuisine, we are convinced that there is a wealth of interesting information that you didn’t know about Indian food. Whether you’re hungry for some high quality curry, or thirsty for knowledge, Nawaab is here to help. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as we take you through our top 10 facts about Indian food.

  1. Chicken tikka masala, one of the most popular curry dishes in the UK, is not an Indian creation. In actual fact it comes from a lot closer to home, having been created in Glasgow, Scotland.
  2. According to Indian Food Theory, there are six different tastes that make up our palette. These are sweet, sour, salty, spicy bitter and astringent.
  3. Over 70% of the world’s spices come from India.
  4. Each of the 28 regions across India use their own particular ingredients when cooking- as well as different spices and cooking methods. This gives each region its own unique taste.
  5. We all know what curry is, but do you know what it’s actually made of? A typical curry is a blend of cinnamon, tamarind, cloves, cumin, cardamom and garam masala. Obviously, the application of these spices differs from dish to dish.
  6. In the UK, one in seven curries that are sold is a chicken tikka masala, which makes it Britain’s favourite Indian dish.
  7. There are now over 9000 Indian restaurants across the UK, but the first one was opened in 1809 in London.
  8. Staple ingredients of Indian cuisine- such as chilli, tomato and potato- don’t originate from India, and they were brought to India by the Portuguese.
  9. The Indian food of today can be tracked back to the days of the Harappan civilization, which was over 5,000 years ago!
  10. India produces a bigger variety of spices than any other country in the world.

If you’re after an authentic taste of Indian culture, you can come to our Indian restaurant in Manchester, where we provide the highest quality of Indian and Pakistani cuisine that money can buy!