Samosa

One of the most globally famous Indian food, Samosa has a special corner in every Indian house. This tea-time snack is originally from Middle-East. Termed as ‘Sambosa’, samosa came to India in 13th-14th century by the traders from Middle East. We Indians added our spices and techniques to ‘sambosa’ and as result we got our samosa.

Filter Coffee

Coffee was not a part of India till the 16th century when it was smuggled into the country, by Baba Budan, on his pilgrimage to Mecca.On returning, he cultivated coffee and the drink soon became popular. Indians would drink coffee without milk and sugar in place of liqueur. Filter coffee was popularized by Coffee Cess Committee when they set up their first Coffee House in then Bombay in 1936.

Gulab Jamun

This favourite Indian dessert originated in the Mediterranean and Persia where it is called as luqmat al qadi. Originally luqmat al qadi is made up of dough balls deep fried, soaked in honey syrup and sprinkled with sugar but in India we modified the recipe. It is one of the most loved sweet dishes in India.

Chai

You can’t imagine India without Chai. But do you know the chai that you have been drinking, since so many years thinking that its Indian actually belongs to China. Chinese used it as a medicinal drink and British wanted to break China’s monopoly in tea market, so they introduced chai to India. In fact, it was only in the 1950s that tea became so popular.

Jalebi

Jablebi is famous all over the country in different forms. While North India loves their thin and crispy jalebis, the South Indian version consists of thicker and has a slightly different shape. This ‘desi mithai’ is originally from Persia and Arabic region. Called as Zalabiya in Arabic and Zalibiya in Persian, this sweet crispy dessert has a no where connection to us.

Dal Bhaat

The typical Indian food Dal Bhaat, is eaten in various forms all over India. Dal Bhaat is actually of Nepali origin and it was through North Indian influences that the dish entered India and spread throughout the region.

Rajma

Rajma or Kidney beans not Indian. The bean was brought to India through Central Mexico and Guatemala. Kidney beans are one of the most important ingredients in Mexican food. The treatment of kidney beans is different in India and Mexico. There is no second thought that even after knowing the origin of kidney beans, it will make any difference to our heavily taste of ‘rajma-chawal’.

Naan

The taste of butter chicken, kadhai paneer is reduced if it is not served with naan. The Americans and Europeans have recently discovered the joys of this bread and love pairing it with their chicken tikka. However, naan is not Indian but was brought to India during the Mughal era. Naan has its roots in Persian cuisine though the form of leavened bread is actually Iranian.

Vindaloo

This Goan cuisine has Portuguese origin. It has been adapted from the very famous carne de vinha d’alhos which is the Portuguese name for Vindaloo. Originally, Vindaloo was made of wine, pork and garlic and though Indians modified it by using palm vinegar, pork/beef/chicken and multiple spices.

Shukto

This delicious Bengali delicacy has Portuguese origin. Portuguese influence on our food is evident especially Goan food and it reached to Bengal too. Indian influenced the food by adding more vegetables and milk and making of it more Indian.

Credits: Priyanshi Lal
Courtesy: Speakingtree.in