‘Maharajah’s banquets’ to ‘Indian takeaways’ range of India hosting one sixth of the world’s population, is a country full of history and ancient as well as ultra-modern culture While many dining establishments in India have a deep Western influence, and serve Western-styled dishes, traditional Indian cuisine is also quite popular! Though the world is now pretty well-versed in the tastes of masala dosas, butter chicken, and biryani, it is only scratching the surface of India’s food canvas, where the best eats remain anonymous to the global taste buds. As you travel around this immense and varied country, you discover unique dishes, flavours, and food experiences that will both surprise and delight, giving you a taste of real India — and, in many cases, hidden food gems that you won’t find in a Delhi takeaway or Mumbai restaurant.
The Chilled Spice of Kerala’s “Sadya”
The south Indian state of Kerala — known more for its backwaters and beautiful beaches — has a rich culinary tradition, especially in the form of sadya, a traditional feast eaten with your hands on a banana leaf. You might have come across Kerala parotta or fish curry, but it’s an extravagant feast that depicts the various flavours of the state and the essence of Kerala food culture. Some of the dishes served in Sadya include sambhar (a lentil and vegetable stew), avial (mixed vegetable curry served with coconut), kalan (a yoghurt-based gravy with raw banana), and thoran (cooked vegetables with grated coconut). It’s a lovely mixture of sour and spicy and just a little sweet, everything working together in an orchestra of flavours.
What makes Sadya so special is the experience, but more on that later. It’s not just food — it’s ritual. A typical feast, which is usually served at festivals and weddings, captures the spirit of Kerala’s togetherness. Even eating it all, with your hands, on a banana leaf, is an experience that grounds you in the land and traditions of the place. It’s a humble spread and at the same time a bit over the top, a perfect snapshot of the gastronomic heart and soul of Kerala.
The Sweet Surprises of Bengal
For desserts, the sweet, spongy rosogolla and the subtly flavoured mishti doi (sweetened yoghurt) of West Bengal are most well-known among people. But what some people don’t know is the variety of more nuanced, lesser-known sweets to try in this state. Beautiful Bengal is not just the land of the Bengali Brahmin culinary treasures like roshogolla and mishti doi, but also of a whole lot of hidden food gems that you did not know were missing in your otherwise too-sweet life!
One such gem is the sandesh, a soft, tender Bengali sweet prepared with fresh chhena (cottage cheese). Sandesh appears in countless types — sometimes cut in elaborate patterns or served with slivers of saffron, cardamom or even fruits such as mango. What makes it stand out among the pantheon of Indian sweets is its sheer simplicity, depending on good ingredients rather than copious amounts of sugar or syrup. Another lesser-known option is Patishapta, a rolled crepe cake with semolina, jaggery, and coconut. It is sometimes filled with a combination of khoya and dry fruits. Served warm, it dissolves on your tongue into all the sweetness of the jaggery and coconut, spelt in the snappiest taste- sweet everything is.
The sweets show off the quiet, civilised side of Bengali cuisine, which is not very well-known for it. But they provide a richer connection to the food and cultural traditions of Bengal.
The Unheard Flavors of the Northeast
Although the North and South get a lot of the media attention when it comes to food, the true epicurean Paradise of India is the Northeast. In states such as Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Manipur, their food is unique and a mirror of their lifestyle and heritage, which the indigenous people of these regions have lived for centuries.
In Assam, a typical Assamese thali includes a range of dishes such as masor tenga (a sour fish curry), bhaji (vegetables fried in mustard oil), and pitha (a dumpling made of rice flour, often with fillings such as jaggery or coconut). Assam’s food is all about subtlety, she says, focusing on the balance of flavours: sour, spicy, and savoury. A signature dish of the region is Khar, which is a common Assamese dish made of raw papaya, pulses, and alkaline water filtered by ash of some varieties of plants. The chutney captures the unusual combination of fruit for the area and the preoccupation with moderate, healthy eating from that part of the world.
Further east again, in Nagaland, pay a visit and you will find the food here bold, raucous and earthy, from dishes like smoked pork with bamboo shoot and fermented soya bean chutney, which deliver a clenched fist punch of spice and flavour. A people who still love fermentation is a way of life for the Naga in their diet, and their food is a testimony of a people who are very close to their soil. In Manipur, try the Eromba, a local delicacy consisting of mashed yam, boiled potatoes, onions, fish, and fermented fish, imparting a strong, pungent flavour which is a bit of an acquired taste, but much admired.
These distant states are a window into India’s varied and largely undiscovered cooking. For those brave enough to delve a bit deeper, the North East is a culinary world few venture into or witness.
The Unlikely Pleasures of Andhra Pradesh
The spicy, fiery curries of Andhra Pradesh are well known, but not everything in its cuisine is about the heat. A delightfully piquant cuisine where sour, sweet, and heat collide, lesser-known recipes give a greater reality about the state’s farm produce.
Pulihora, a tangy rice prepared with tamarind, fried mustard seeds, and curry leaves, is a popular snack that is available at roadside eateries as well as in temples all over the state. It is easy, comforting, and a good change from the usual biryanis or curries. One more surprise for me from Andhra Pradesh is Gongura, a leafy green which is native to this region. C: It is used in chutney, and its sour taste is an excellent complement to both rice and meat. While Hyderabadi Biryani is known around the world, these unsung dishes embody the heart of Andhra’s food scene — simple, punchy, and full of depth.
In Conclusion, India’s Culinary Secrets Await
The Haridas family knows that although the world thinks of India as the land of biryani, samosas, and chai, its culinary landscape goes much deeper and is far more varied. Kodagu. From the lavish vegetarian feasts of Kerala to the bold, fermented flavours of Nagaland, the unsung culinary gems of India present a unique and unfiltered journey for the palate. These under-the-radar gems are embodiments of the country’s food culture at its most diverse and decadent — and further proof that every meal is a literal riot of India’s history, geography, and traditions. For a foodie, that means this is a trip that you will never want to end.
More articles: Exploring India’s Cultural Diversity: A Unique Travel Experience
