South Asian cuisine
While South Asia is a vast subcontinent with diverse climate and culture, some culinary traditions can be found across the region.
With the Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Sri Lankan diasporas, not least within the former British Empire, the cuisines of South Asia have spread around the world.
Understand75 billion inhabitants, a land area larger than the European Union, a countless number of languages and dialects, and millennia of written history, South Asia is difficult to conceptualize.
Countries and regionsThe high-altitude Himalayan cuisine includes the meat-heavy deshes from Kashmir, the mild yet ingratiating pahari cuisine of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and the momo dumplings of Nepal and Sikkim.
IngredientsRice is the basic staple food in southern and eastern regions of South Asia. Rice flour is used to make the savoury pancakes called dosas and utthapams that are so characteristic of South Indian food.
BeveragesTea is drunk throughout South Asia and is the everyday drink in many regions.
DishesSouth Asia has a plethora of dishes, many of which have become well known and eaten across the region and abroad, while others continue to be local delicacies. This section will focus on savoury dishes.
SnacksThere are a wide array of traditional and modern snacks across the subcontinent. The line between "snack" and "meal" can be blurry.
CondimentsBroadly, the two major types of condiments found in South Asian cuisine are chutneys, which are equivalent to sauces, dips and spreads in European cuisines, and pickles, called achar in many languages of the…
Sweets and dessertsIt's fair to say that nearly everyone has a sweet tooth in South Asia. Sweets can be baked, fried, roasted, frozen, or produced in a myriad of other ways.
RestaurantsWhen travelling across South Asia, you will come across restaurant types that are found all over the world from fast food to fine dining and everything in between.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "South Asian cuisine" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0