جهان زیبا و دلپذیر آشپزی هندی

Indian cuisine is famous around the world and enjoys the enviable reputation of being unique. Indeed, it reflects the variety and diversity of India that derives from a vibrant history dating back to more than six thousand years. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India commented thus : Ancient India ... was a world in itself. A culture and a civilization which gave shape to all things. Foreign influences poured in and often influenced that culture and were absorbed. Disruptive tendencies gave rise immediately to an attempt to find a synthesis. Some kind of a dream of unity has occupied the mind of India since the dawn of civilization. That unity was not conceived as something imposed from outside, a standardization of externals or even of beliefs. It was something deeper and, within its fold the widest tolerance of belief and custom was practised and every variety acknowledged and even encouraged. [Italics inserted]. Through history, this vast and ancient country has seen the rise and fall of many empires and dynasties, both indigenous and foreign. The Greeks under Alexander the Great, the mighty Gengis Khan, Taimur the Lame, the Persians, Turks, Mongols, Arabs, the peoples of the Meditterranean, and later, Europeans, notably the British, the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese, were drawn to this land for power and pelf. However, the indigenous culture of India assimilated the foreign influences and out of this interface emerged a rich heritage distinctively Indian. Indian cuisine is a part of this heritage and this book explores its many facets. For thousands of years, Indian have used spices to decorate and enhance the aroma of their cuisine. Foreign conquerors came to India in search of these exotic spices for trade. The ethos of Indian cuisine, however, originates from the basic philosophy and thought enshrined in the ancient Vedas (nearly two thousand years B.C.) which clearly emphasizes the importance of indigenously found herbs and spices in one s daily food. The accent was not just on tastes and flavors but on health. Indian cuisine fascinates the gourmet with its great variety of tastes, colors and aroma derived almost entirely through the use of a large variety of exotic spices and herbs. The author covers this aspect of Indian cuisine in great detail, often with annotations, helpful notes and glossaries providing English/American equivalents of Indian words for ingredients used in her recipes. The regional variations are innumerable and in no small way contribute to the variety that forms the exquisiteness of Indian cuisine. The author travels through the length and breadth of the country which stretches from the tropics to the temperate regions, from near the equator to the high and cold Himalayan regions. She traverses the country s twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories each with its own official language and culture. She collects recipes for every occasion from an easy and simple quick preparation to a classic weekend dinner that one might ask for at an upmarket restaurant, from dishes prescribed for religious rituals and festivals to celebrations of weddings or other gala events. She offers step-by-step preparation methods and photographs of recipes which can be of great help to the reader.

The cook book provides a clear window into India's landscapes, its colorful multi cultural festivals and various religious institutions, its varied Cuisine with plentiful notations and helpful hints for a beginner and lots of varied recipes from all parts of India and its neighboring countries. Each page has easy to understand step by step methods of preparing healthy and delicious Indian food.

Indian cuisine reflects the variety and diversity of India that is derived from its vibrant history dating back to more than 6000 years ago. The indigenous culture of India for thousands of years kept assimilating the cultures of all those who came to its shore for power or pelf. This assimilation also produced a unique and a exquisite cuisine. The ethos of Indian Indian Cuisine however originates from the basic philosophy and thought enshrined in the ancient Vedas ( nearly 2000 B.C.)which deeply emphasizes the importance of use of indigenous spices and herbs in its cooking. The accent was not just on taste and flavors but on health. The author tries very hard to explain the reasons for the extensive use of these spices and their healthful benefits in Indian Cuisine often with annotations, helpful notes and glossaries. The author travels through the length and breadth of the country. She has collected recipes for every occasion from an easy and quick preparation to a classic weekend dinner that one might ask for at an upmarket restaurant from dishes prescribed for religious rituals and festivals to celebrations of weddings and other gala events. The pages of the book are interspersed with breathtaking photographs of the recipes, Indian landscapes, people, historical monuments, the arts and crafts. The author believes that the art of cooking is not necessarily based on long held traditions but on constant change. It is precisely for this reason that during her long years spent on U.S.she has experimented with traditional recipes and quite often amended many dishes keeping in mind the western palate and the ready availability of vegetables, herbs and spices. But she always kept in mind the basic Vedic concept enshrined in Indian Cuisine that in order for one to stay healthy one has to keep a healthy balance of six different tastes in one,s daily intake of food. Those tastes are in sequence- sweet, sour, astringent, pungent, salty and bitter.

The first comprehensive book on mastering the art of Indian cooking. Each page of the book is like a journey into Indian culture and cuisine. The recipes of the book reflect the real essence of Indian cuisine by showing the vast variety of Indian culture and food. The recipes are made easy by step-by-step instructions with an emphasis on the heath benefits of spices and herbs used. The book is truly beautiful to look at with amazing pictures of recipes, cultural festivals, landscapes, historical marvels and religious places. Original.