"Indian food" is really dozens of cuisines. India has 28 states and eight union territories, more than a billion people, and huge differences in climate, crops, religion and history. What people eat in Punjab has little in common with the food of Kerala, Bengal or Nagaland. This guide takes you region by region through India's food, explains the basics that tie it together, and offers practical tips for eating well and safely.

The building blocks

  • Spices: most Indian cooking uses a tempering (tadka or chhonk) of whole spices such as cumin, mustard seeds and dried chillies fried in hot oil or ghee, plus ground spices and fresh aromatics like ginger, garlic and onion.
  • Grains: wheat breads (roti, chapati, paratha, naan) dominate in the north and west; rice is the staple in the south, east and northeast.
  • Pulses: lentils and beans (dal) are eaten daily across the country and are a key protein source.
  • Vegetarianism: India has one of the highest shares of vegetarians in the world, and vegetarian food is available everywhere. Religious practices also shape diets: many Hindus avoid beef, Muslims avoid pork, and Jains avoid root vegetables.

North India

Northern cooking is what many people abroad know as "Indian food". Punjab's influence is strong: rich dals such as dal makhani, paneer dishes, butter chicken (murgh makhani, popularised in Delhi in the mid-20th century) and tandoori dishes cooked in clay ovens. Breads include naan, kulcha and stuffed parathas. Mughal-influenced cuisine brought biryanis, kebabs and kormas made with nuts, cream and saffron, especially in Delhi and Lucknow, whose Awadhi kitchens are famous for slow-cooked "dum" dishes. Kashmir has its own tradition, the wazwan feast, with dishes such as rogan josh.

South India

The south is rice country. Breakfasts include dosa (fermented rice and lentil crêpes), idli (steamed rice cakes) and vada (lentil doughnuts), served with coconut chutney and sambar, a tangy lentil and vegetable stew. Each state has distinct traditions:

  • Tamil Nadu: Chettinad cuisine is known for fiery, aromatic dishes using black pepper and star anise.
  • Kerala: coconut, curry leaves and seafood feature heavily, along with appam, a lacy rice pancake, and stews influenced by Syrian Christian communities. During the Onam festival, families serve the sadya, a vegetarian feast on a banana leaf.
  • Karnataka: bisi bele bath, a spiced rice-lentil dish, and Udupi vegetarian cooking.
  • Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: some of India's spiciest food, and Hyderabadi biryani, cooked by layering marinated meat and rice and sealing the pot.

East India

Bengali cuisine, centred on Kolkata, is known for fish — especially hilsa (ilish) — cooked with mustard oil and mustard paste, and for sweets such as rasgulla and sandesh made from fresh cheese. Odisha's rasagola received a geographical indication tag, and a long-running friendly rivalry with Bengal continues over who invented the rasgulla. Bihar is famous for litti chokha, baked wheat balls stuffed with roasted gram flour.

West India

  • Gujarat: largely vegetarian, often slightly sweet, with dhokla (steamed gram-flour cakes) and the thali, a platter of many small dishes.
  • Rajasthan: desert cooking that uses dried ingredients and dairy, such as dal baati churma and gatte ki sabzi.
  • Maharashtra: Mumbai's street food, including vada pav, pav bhaji and bhel puri, and coastal Malvani seafood.
  • Goa: Portuguese colonial influence created dishes such as vindaloo (from the Portuguese "carne de vinha d'alhos"), xacuti and bebinca, a layered dessert.

Northeast India

The eight northeastern states have cuisines closer to those of Southeast Asia and the Himalayas, with less oil and fewer dried spices. Dishes feature fermented bamboo shoots, smoked pork, rice and very hot chillies; the bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) from this region was once the world's hottest chilli. Assam's masor tenga (sour fish curry) and Naga smoked pork are highlights, and momos (dumplings) are popular across the region and in the Himalayas.

Street food and snacks

India's street food is legendary: chaat (a family of tangy, crunchy snacks such as pani puri and papdi chaat), samosas, kathi rolls in Kolkata, kebabs in Old Delhi, and chai sold everywhere in small clay cups or glasses. Street food is generally safest where it is cooked fresh at high heat in front of you.

Sweets and drinks

Indian sweets (mithai) include gulab jamun, jalebi, barfi and ladoo, and are central to festivals such as Diwali. Masala chai — tea brewed with milk, sugar and spices — is the national drink. In the south, filter coffee served in a steel tumbler is traditional. Lassi, a yogurt drink, can be sweet or salty.

Festival foods

Food marks every festival. During Diwali, families exchange boxes of sweets and dry fruits; at Eid, Muslim households prepare sheer khurma (vermicelli pudding) and biryani; in Punjab, Lohri is celebrated with sesame sweets and popcorn around a bonfire; and in Tamil Nadu, the harvest festival of Pongal is named after a sweet rice-and-lentil dish cooked in new pots. During Navratri, many Hindus fast from grains and eat special dishes made with buckwheat, water chestnut flour and sago.

Cooking and shopping as a resident

Living in India, you will find local markets (sabzi mandi) far cheaper than supermarkets for vegetables and fruit. Spices are fresh and inexpensive, and neighbourhood kirana shops deliver staples. Food delivery apps such as Swiggy and Zomato are hugely popular in cities. Many middle-class households employ a cook, which is affordable by Western standards.

Eating well and safely

  • Choose busy places with high turnover and food cooked to order.
  • Drink bottled or filtered water and be cautious with raw salads and cut fruit from street stalls if you are new to India.
  • If you prefer less heat, ask for "less spicy" or "no chilli"; restaurants will often adjust.
  • Eat with your right hand when eating with your hands; the left hand is considered unclean.
  • Thali restaurants offer excellent value: unlimited refills of several dishes for a fixed price.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India regulates food businesses and runs campaigns such as "Eat Right India", while Incredible India, the official tourism portal, lists regional food trails. For living costs and practical information, see our India country guide.