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Religious Influence on Indian Food

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Religious Influence on Indian Food
REPORT ON RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE ON INDIAN CUISINE

BY AKSHAY DINESH KULKARNI
S.Y .B.A.IHM

Religious Influence On Indian Food

India is a land of diversity. Her countless landscapes, different languages, magnificent festivals and multi-ethnicity reflect the culture and tradition of this land. Indian cuisine is also as diverse and wonderful as the colourful country. From the northern tip of Kashmir to the southern state of Kerala, and from the western ghats of Gujarat to Nagaland in the east, India’s food habits are as variant and colourful as the people of India. However, a particular pattern exists among all this diversity. Apart from India, the traditional religious Indian cuisine has also gained popularity across the globe Indian Cooking derives from a 4000 year old timeline, during which culture has changed, geographical boundaries have changed significantly leading to confusing terms such as sub-continental cuisine while other parts of a region want a separate culinary identity. Unfortunately since India 's root cuisine precedes the subsequent subdivisions trying to distinguish between modern India’s cuisine and that of its neighbors, is not really feasible.

Indian Cooking has however evolved significantly over time and the varying influences brought into the country by the various rulers and travelers, it has not lost its original identity, rather become richer with the assimilation of the myriad influences. This is very apparent in some of the unique regional cuisines
Religious influence on Indian food has bechanced due to the invaders, immigrations and intermingling of different people from the pre Christian era. The presence of diverse climatic condition has also helped to broaden the sets of ingredients present in the cuisines.

In India, food has become a marker of different religious and social identity. Every religion present with varying taboos and preferences, such as Hindus do not consume Cows, Muslims do consume beef and Jain



References: 1. http://www.indiannetzone.com/37/religious_influence_on_indian food_indian _cuisine.htm[accesed on 02nd march,2010] 2. http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/indian _cooking/history_indian_food_cooking.html[accesed on o5th march,2010] 3. http://www.food-india.com/region [accessed on 06th march,2010 ] 4. http://www.foodguide.com/religion_influence.html [accessed on 07th march, 2010]

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