The History of Indian Cuisine

12/03/2021

There is no questioning the popularity of Indian cuisine with Western diners as there are thought to be at least 12,000 Indian restaurants in the UK alone, however very little is known about the cultural and religious history of the food itself and the outside influences that made it what it is today. After all, the history of Indian cuisine is about as simple as nuclear physics! Read on as the Royal Nawaab team explain the basics…

The diversity of Indian food can often be explained by the diversity of the people who have lived and currently live in India itself as the country has hosted a variety of different cultural and religious practices over the past 5,000 years. For instance, India is made up of around five predominant religions: Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Christinanity. Although each of these have managed to influence the style of cooking and the ingredients that are used, it is Hindu’s and Muslims that have had the biggest impact on Indian cuisine as we know it today. After all, the abundance of vegetarian dishes that are popular with Indian people can be traced back to Hindu settlers as the religion encourages a meat-free diet whereas dishes like biryani, rogan josh and rich kormas have all been influenced by Muslim tradition.

Another way to look at the history of Indian cuisine is to consider the different culinary practices that exist in different regions of India itself. After all, the North, South, East and West all boast their own cooking styles and infamous dishes! For example, the cuisine in North India was heavily influenced by the Mughals dynasty which ruled for three centuries before British colonisation took place in the 1800’s whereas the food in South India is thought to be much spicier and richer in flavour.

Although there is no rulebook that states a person needs to know the rich history of the food they are eating, we believe that some of our readers may find the background of Indian cuisine and how it came to be so popular in the 21st century as fascinating as we do! To make a booking and try our authentic dishes for yourself, get in contact with the best Indian restaurant around and speak to a member of the Royal Nawaab team today.