How best can I get the flavour of a particular destination I visit in India?!
How best can I get the flavour of a particular destination I visit in India?
Answers:
don't go to posh restaurants.. the best way to get the real flavor of india will be to go to some famous dhabas or side stalls where they sell food.. but do take care of hygiene.. you can ask them what is their specialty and order for that.. have a great time.. there is no other country in the world where you get such a variety of foods..
make sure you eat the foods from the karts and eat the local food!! its the best!
We would love you to try using the local transport. But this is not advisable in crowded cities like Mumbai. However, do take a ride or two in a state transport bus or tram whenever you have the opportunity. It would be better to take an Indian friend along.
Try and interact more with the locals of the area. There will be a language problem but many people in small towns are quite fluent in English and a few other foreign languages.
Buy a handicraft or souvenir which is typical of the place. It would be better to wear a piece of clothing from the place you are visiting. E.g A sarong in Goa, a baandhani dupatta in Rajasthan. You would blend in well with the local people.
By licking it. I personally try to avoid licking my travel destinations but to each his own.
It depends on the area, Northern areas tend to be less spice, southern areas more, there is coconut milk based dishes, the spices varie as the areas differ slightly in the amounts of certain one's, cumim is a common sppice, but corinader and fenugreek are used in some area and not in others.
Research the area you visited, most of the sites about Indian cuisine do delve onto all the areas and give you recipes and food ingreidents, I am a former chef and love to eat and cook Indian food, I am lucky living in Toronto Canada, we have a large East Indian community, from all areas and Sri Lanka, so there are a number of Northern, Southern, Goa, Mumbi and Calcutta style places, anything from fish to Dosa.
My recommendation is find the recipes and then research the ingredients available in your area, most can be purchased on-line, if your in an area that the majority of the supplys you need are unavailable.
you become part and parcel of that place from your heart then you will definitely get flavour of that place
by eating the local cuisine of the particular destination u visit. for that look out for speciality restaurants also now with lot of heritage hotels opening all over India, u can get the feel of the locals totally regarding their way of living & that includes the local flavours too. enjoy your visit to India.
Walk, Talk, Feast, Keep your eyes and ears open. The 4 ways to enjoy our beautiful, diverse India. Just a warning ! expect the unexpected. We do not go by a lot of rules. We use our grey cells instead. So, don't be surprised if u dont find order,directions & of course spotlesness.