Cuisines of North India

Mughlai cuisine

Mughlai cuisine today is famous throughout India. Mughlai cuisine is very much similar to the Awadhi cuisine, but the spices used are different from the ones used in Awadhi cuisine. The Mughlai cuisine has generous use of Yoghurt and spices very typical to Persia and Turkey.  The Mughals brought along with them the recipes typical of the region and introduced in India. The rugged fighters as they were, the cuisine they preferred was always with larger portions and spicy.

Today Mughlai cuisine is famous for its Kebabs and the gravy dishes made of chicken and mutton. Oil or ghee too is extensively used in the recipes.  The biryanis and the curries from the Mughlai cuisine are rich and thick. Today authentic Mughalai cuisine can be tasted in the small alleys of Chandani Chowk, the walled city of Delhi.

A Mughlai course is an elaborate buffet of main course dishes with a variety of accompaniments. The layered parantha with minced meat, egg, chopped onions and other things is specially known as the Mughalai parantha. Patronised by Mughal  kings the cuisine is served till date with the same famous dishes as it was once.

The Awadhi cuisine belongs to the state of Uttar Pradesh. Some cities of Uttar Pradesh are famous for its delectable sweets. The most famous are the home made Ghujias, made during the festival of Holi,  the Kulfi (an indian form of ice cream with all natural flavours), the petha from Agra (a sweet made from white pumpkin), the pedha of Mathura and the Gulab Jamun and the imarti from Varanasi. All these delicacies have put the names of those cities in the food map of India.

Cuisine of the Mountains

The mountain states of Himachal and Uttarakhand have a cool climate throughout the year. It is mild in summers and harsh in winters. The local folks prefer rice and wheat made bread equally to be eaten with locally available lentils, pulses, vegetables and meat.

Due to the climatic conditions there are limited spices and herbs which are found in that region. The local food hence is cooked in the same limited spices and also sometimes dried under the sun to be stored and eaten in winters. 

The meals cooked are nutritious and same pulses like the gehet (a regional variety) are cooked and savoured in various forms to give it a different taste. Intake of milk, homemade butter and cheese is also high in these regions.