Culture: Is Indian Cuisine The Best Of The World?

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Recently I spent 6 weeks in London. I learned many things there. One of my findings was that Indian cuisine is the best of the world, I didn`t know that. The British capital is the best place to discover the magic of Indian food because a lot of top chefs work there, at least six of them have Michelin stars - more than in any other place of the world  (michelin  cntraveller ).

Indian cuisine is much more than curries. India - where more than one billion people live today - has a very old and diverse culture. Over thousands of years the South Asian subcontinent  developed a library full of ancient recipes, techniques and food philosophies. The huge country - especially the tropical south -  is home to exotic vegetables, fruit, herbs & spices and Indian chefs are not afraid to use them. But they also follow other traditions. Many dishes are based on milk - which may partly explain the status of cows in India. Yogurts, cheese, chee (clarified butter) and other milk products - blended with herbs and spices- are a defining part of Indian cuisine. They are used to moisten the food & edit the flavor, and also to compensate the burn of chillies.

Yes, anyone can purchase herbs, spices and other ingredients and flavor their food. You can get very hot dishes also at Mexican & Sichuan restaurants. But some Indian chefs have the talent to find the perfect fit of flavors and to combine them in the right balance. The ingredients are often clothed and marinaded into bespoke, unusual and creative blends of complex seasonings and then cooked in a hot-clay oven, over an open grill, on a searing hot-iron-plate, or stir fried.

During my London visit I enjoyed tasting menus which were eclectic combinations of dishes. They  were symphonies of flavors - mesmerizing. And it wasn´t just the tastes. The variety, complexity, uniqueness and the anticipation before each next step increased the pleasure.

There were combinations of appetizers which started an exceptional culinary tour and opened an intoxicating mix. One place (Cinnamon Club) started with an eclectic assortment of teasers: Tandoori Norfolk free range chicken chaat (filled fried dough) in pastry shell Devon crab and kokum berry salad on lotus root crisp & carpaccio of home cured Shetland salmon and caramel jhal muri (puffed rice with an assortment of spices &vegetable). Other places served Pheasant Kempu raw mango yogurt & crispy curry leaves or Rabbit Samosa cauliflower puree, prune & mango chutney.

The entrees enhanced the pleasure. There was fish marinated in spices before cooking in the tandoori oven, served with green cardamom,  mace,  avocado & mint chutney. I had lamb chop marinated in cumin, crushed onion, yogurt, fennel and ginger before being cooked in the tandoori and served with more ginger, with some carrots on the side. The spices having been absorbed into the meat which  beautifully took its flavor to a higher level.

At another place I indulged in Meen Manga Curry, consisting of cod, raw mango and flavored with Malabar tamarind or I tasted fish fillets cooked in freshly ground coconut masala with the twist of tamarind and roasted spices. The desserts completed the taste sensations. I am still dreaming of Cinnamon Club`s Cardamom shrikhand (sweet strained yogurt ) with tamarind glazed berries.
 

Btw The spices are very good for health. Curcumin, found in turmeric, is a potent anti-inflammatory. Cinnamon helps balance blood sugar; cumin and coriander aid digestion; fenugreek reduces cholesterol, counters heartburn, ginger relieves nausea; chilies contribute high levels of vitamins A, B and C.

I still like Italian & Thai cuisine and enjoy Sichuan and upscale Mexican food but my Indian dinners were a culinary voyage full with tastes of strangeness, confusion & wonder.