How to get to know India through its food: an insider’s guide to some must-try experiences
Get to know the rich and varied tastes of the subcontinent with a structured tour, a culinary home-stay or a food-centred trip – and the options are as vast as the cuisine
One of the best ways to enjoy a new city or country is through its local food. And nowhere is this truer than in India. It is a land with a mind-boggling variety of regional cuisine, going way beyond the chicken tikka masala that has come to represent Indian food globally.
However, eating in a new place also brings with it concerns about health and hygiene, and again, nowhere is this truer than in India, especially when getting adventurous with street food. But you can forget Delhi Belly and get to know India through its food with this insider’s guide to enjoying interesting, authentic and safe experiences across the country.
Shopping for fresh fish in the street markets of Kolkata.
1. Food Tours
Go forth and conquer the streets with India Food Tour (indiafoodtour.com) in popular cities such as Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and Mumbai. It also offers culinary journeys across India accompanied with a chef. In these tours, you get to understand and explore the various communities that make the city, and their unique cuisines.
In India, some of the best street food is to be found in Mumbai, from pav bhaji (toasted bun with spicy vegetable curry) to pan (a betel leaf digestive). You can discover them all with Mumbai Moments (mumbaimoments.com) or Urban Adventures (urbanadventures.com). Chase this down with a cool, sweet thandai (a milk-based drink), generously laced with spices and bhang (a local cannabis preparation) which you’ll find on a gastronomic walking tour with Walks of Varanasi (walksofvaranasi.in).
In the east, Kolkata is the original melting pot, with food influences ranging from “Chindian” adapted from the immigrant Chinese community to Mumbai chaat (street snacks) customised to local tastes. On a walk with Calcutta Walks (calcuttawalks.com), begin with the fish fry that Kolkata is known for, and end with speciality milk-based desserts.
