South Asia

South Asia is the southern sub-region of Asia, containing countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. It's very diverse in language, ethnicity, religion, and art. It's home to around 2 billion people, making it a quarter of the world's population.

Religion and Language Influence

Islam

Halal: Muslims must consume halal (lawful) meat, meaning animals must be slaughtered in a specific, ritualistic way while invoking the name of God. Pork and its by-products are strictly forbidden (Haram).

Fasting: During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, abstaining from all food and drink. This is broken with an evening meal (Iftar).

Hinduism

Beef Prohibition: The cow is considered sacred, and consuming beef is forbidden for most Hindus.
Vegetarianism: A significant portion of the population follows a vegetarian diet for religious and philosophical reasons.
Fasting: Practices vary widely, but often involve abstaining from grains (like rice and wheat) and non-vegetarian food, replacing them with fruits, dairy, and specific flours (like kuttu or water chestnut flour) during religious holidays and fasts (Vrat or Upvaas).

Buddhism

- Many Buddhists, especially in South Asia, follow a vegetarian or non-vegetarian diet, but often avoid meat that was slaughtered specifically for them. Monks often rely on the generosity of the community and eat what is offered.

Jainism

Strict Vegetarianism: Jains adhere to an extremely strict form of vegetarianism where they also abstain from root vegetables (like potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots) to avoid killing the entire plant or insects during harvesting.

Ahimsa: Their dietary rules are based on the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence).

Language is crucial for defining and sharing South Asian food knowledge, particularly in naming:

Naming Dishes: A dish's name often indicates its preparation method, main ingredients, or origin.

Example (Urdu/Hindi):
- Biryani (a cooking method where rice and meat/vegetables are layered).
- Aloo (potato) Gobi (cauliflower) signifies the main ingredients.
- Korma (a braised or stewed dish).
Regional Variation: Different languages in the region use completely different words for the same ingredient. For instance, rice is chaawal (Hindi), bhaat (Bengali), and arisi (Tamil). This means recipes using the same core ingredients will have different names across the subcontinent.

Sharing Recipes: Recipes were historically passed down orally. Specific, shared culinary terminology within a linguistic group ensures consistent preparation.

Mirgration and Fusion

How South Asian Foods Spread

Trade (The Spice Routes): Spices like pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom were among the world's first global commodities, connecting the subcontinent to the Middle East, East Africa, and Europe centuries ago. This trade also brought ingredients into South Asia, such as chilies from the Americas via Portuguese traders.
Colonialism and Indentured Labor: The British Raj led to a massive diaspora. South Asians were sent as indentured laborers to work on plantations in the Caribbean (Trinidad, Guyana), East Africa (Kenya, South Africa), and the Pacific (Fiji). They brought their staple foods, spices, and cooking techniques, which formed the foundation of the South Asian food culture in these new lands.
Modern Migration: Post-1947, and increasingly after the 1960s, highly skilled South Asian migrants moved to the UK, US, Canada, and Australia. They opened restaurants, popularizing South Asian dishes globally, often adapting them to local palates.

Fusion Dish

The most famous example of South Asian culinary fusion is Chicken Tikka Masala (CTM).

The Mix: It combines South Asian chicken tikka (small pieces of boneless chicken baked in a tandoor after marinating in spices and yogurt) with a British-developed creamy, tomato-based sauce.
Origin: While its exact origin is debated, a popular, widely accepted story places its invention in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1970s. A local South Asian chef supposedly added a creamy sauce to the dry chicken tikka to satisfy a customer who complained the dish was too dry.

Dishes

Aloo Samosa

The triangular parcels of friend, flaky dough wrapped around filligs of all kinds, are very popular in South Asia. They're commonly associated with the countries in the subcontinent and have a far wider reach. There are many versions of Samosas in other countries.

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is one of the most famous and popular Indian curries worldwide. Its rich, creamy, and velvety smooth sauce and tender pieces of chicken. It was created in the 1950s by chefs at the now famous Moti Mahal restaurant. It is typically served hot with Naan bread or Basmati Rice.

Chai

A type of India based tea, made especially by boiling the tea leaves with milk, sugar, and cardamom.

Milk Creams

Cashew based sweets are quite common in India since the nuts are grown in the warmer parts of the country, like the western state of Goa. Milk Creams are one of the simplest sweets to make. Only a few ingredients and a little bit of patience.

Culinary Roots

Aloo Samosa

Throughout history, various people an cultures moved across the land and influenced people around them. Samosa was transformed based on waves of new people. There are many varieties based on its use, but no one shaped Samosaa quite like those in India. Combination to meet local tastes, spices such as pepper, ginger, coriander were thrown into the mix. Vegetables were also added, to replace most of the meat. At the end of the day, the samosa is more than just a snack. It symbolizes the ways in which cultural interactions shape our world, showing the true flavors in India, based on its vast history.

Sources: The Samosa House

Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken was invented in the 1950s at the iconic Moti Mahal Delux restaurant in Delhi. It was the result from a cooking experiment when the leftover marinated chicken was combined with a rich tomato based gravy, resulting in a heavenly creation. The dish capturing the hearts of locals and travelers alike. Soon, it spread beyond the borders of India and becoming a staple worldwide.

Why is it so unique?

The unique combination of Indian spices and a velvety, smooth gravy served with pieces of marinated meat. the marination infuces the chicken with flavors, making sure every bite is yummy and delicious. The creamy sauce, made with cream, butter and a nice blend of Indian spices, which adds richness to the dish.

Source: The History and Facts of Butter Chicken

Chai

This unassuming drink, now a staple in South Asian households, has a turbulent past that is rooted in colonialism and capitilsm. China was the country with the experinec to grow and sell tea. During trades, China sold tea and British sold silver and opium to each other. British turned to India, a country they started gaining more conrol over, tried grow tea in India. Due to lack of experience couldn't so a spy went into China and learned how to grow tea. Smuggling tea plants and tea experts bring it to India. The tea plant didn't grow but soon they discovered a Assam tea plants throughout India. The productiof tea in India rapidly started growing with the help of Indian labor powering it. When teas started spreading throughout India different tea verndor, started adding spices to the tea. By adding spices to the chai, it reduced the amount of tea leaves needed to brew a cup. It was a way hat india were able to make their own tea.

Source: Moon Rice

Fun Fact about Chai

In the United States, the popularly of chai is increasing mainstream coffee shops often refer to the drink as "Chai tea" which makes people in Inda cringe. Chai is a Hindi word which means tea. So when a sign says "chai tea" it means "tea tea" which is redundant. It shows the salesperson doesn't understand the meaning behind the drink as they are profiting from it.

Source: Fun Fact Chai

Milk Creams

Milk cream is a cashew nut and milk fudge that is traditionally made by Goan Catholics for Christmas.

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