In the history of human nutrition, cooking dates back to one of the oldest activities carried out by man. It was so simple that ancient men were hunters and gatherers, and they hunted, skinned, and threw their catch into the fire and ate when it was ready. As time went on, more complex methods were invented and food was subdivided into kitchens. In this article, we will focus on the development of one of the Asian cuisines, namely South Asian cuisine.
South Asian cuisine is a combination of many cuisines popular in the Indian subcontinental region. As the name suggests, it originates from South Asia, and is heavily influenced by some Hindu practices, as these are the dominant people found in this region. Other cultural influences also come from Muslims.
Popular Ingredients and Staples
One of the things that is very popular in this cuisine is a flatbread known as Naan and it is usually eaten in combination with many meals. Beans, barley, rice and chapatti, made from wheat, are also very common foods in the kitchen.
A characteristic of foods in this area is that they are highly flavored with black pepper, chili, cloves, and various spices and herbs used in combination with ghee butter. Including ginger in them often enhances sweet and savory foods. In meat, ginger is minced while being used as pickled ginger in rice. The popularity of ginger is enormous, since it is boiled to make concentrated syrups that are used in the preparation of desserts. The curry is made with cumin and turmeric.
Meats such as chicken, goat, and mutton are very common, but beef is not popular as a food as it has a sacred place in Hindu worship culture. The severity of the special status of cows is emphasized by the ban on buffalo meat, as it closely resembles cows. The same case applies to pork as it is also avoided by Muslims and Hindus. This kitchen has very sweet desserts that are made from dairy products. The most common dessert ingredients are ground almonds, dairy products, sugar, and ghee.
down memory lane
Much of Indian food dates back five thousand years. The oldest civilization was made up of people known as Indus, and they hunted alligators and turtles. That civilization is modern Pakistan. In addition to hunting, they were gatherers of plants, herbs, and grain, and many types of food from this period remain popular today.
A variety of these foods include eggplant, cucumber, rice, tamarind, wheat, and barley. The use of spices in Asian cooking dates back to this period, as the Indian people used ginger, green peppers, salt, and barley. An orange coloring and flavoring powder was made from the ground turmeric root.
More collaborators
Further contributions to this cuisine were the Aryans, who introduced the use of green vegetables, dairy products, and lentils in the diet. Spices like coriander and cumin were part of the Aryan diet around 1500 BC. Potatoes, red chili peppers, and cauliflower were popularized by the Portuguese around 1600 B.C. C. One thing that led to the diverse development of this cuisine is that Asians treat food and cooking as an art, so many precision cooking tools and methods are used.