South Asian cuisine
South Asian cuisine includes the traditional cuisines from the modern-day South Asian republics of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, also sometimes including the kingdom of Bhutan and the emirate of Afghanistan.
Beef is less common in India than in other South Asian cuisines because cattle have a special place in Hinduism.
A variety of very sweet desserts which use dairy products is also found in cuisines of the Indian subcontinent.
The main ingredients in desserts of the Indian subcontinent are reduced milk, ground almonds, lentil flour, ghee and sugar.
The Indus Valley people, who settled in the northwestern Indian subcontinent, hunted turtles and alligator.
The Indus Valley people cooked with oils, ginger, salt, green peppers, and turmeric root, which would be dried and ground into an orange powder.
The Portuguese and British made red chili, potato and cauliflower popular after 1700 A.D. Mughals, who began arriving in India after 1200, saw food as an art and many of their dishes are cooked with as many as 25 spices.
The cuisine is halal and mainly based on mutton, beef, poultry and fish with rice and Afghan bread.
Rice is the main staple food of Bangladeshi people and it is served with a wide range of curries.
Bangladeshi dishes exhibit strong aromatic flavours; and often include eggs, potatoes, tomatoes and aubergines.
Meat consumption includes beef, lamb, venison, chicken, duck, squab and koel.
Vegetable dishes, either mashed (bhorta), boiled (sabji), or leaf-based (saag), are widely served.
The traditional cuisine of Maldivians is based on three main items and their derivatives: coconuts, fish and starches.
As a result of Mughal legacy, Pakistan also mutually inherited many recipes and dishes from that era alongside India.
