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Cuisine is
always an important part of any culture for no culture or civilization
can exists if it has no cuisine.
Every
civilization has its own unique cuisine according to its climate,
requirements, customs, people’s preferences and a whole load of other
such factors.
India is a
beautiful tourist destination. It has lots of diverse tourist
attractions that are frequented by tourists regardless of the season
during which the traveling is done.
One such
astounding destination is the state of Himachal Pradesh.
It is situated
along the foothills of the magnificent Himalayas. This makes the state
even more invigorating.
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Influence
of the cuisine
The state is
already very popular owing to its physical features. Apart from these
there are also other factors like the cuisine, attractions, etc. that
attract tourists. The regional cuisine is quite influenced by the
Punjabi and the Tibetan cuisines and their effect can be easily
identified. The topographical as well as the climatic conditions have a
great impact on the cuisine of Himachal Pradesh and also the method of
their preparation. Himachal Pradesh has a native cuisine that is
simple, energizing and nutritious. They may not possess the same taste
of modern food but their nutritional benefits greatly surpass a
majority of modern foods.
Regular
Cuisine
Himachal Pradesh
constitutes Rice, maize and paddy as staple diet. The barren areas grow
coarse grains such as millet, barley and buckwheat. The barren regions
make use of milk products. Non-vegetarian food make use of spices such
as cloves, red chilies, cardamom and cinnamon are an essential part of
Himachal Pradesh Cuisine. The local people love vegetarian food.
Generally, lentil, cereal preparations and all varieties of meat are
cooked. Popular dishes of Himachal Pradesh cuisine includes ‘Sidu’, a
type of bread made of wheat flour and is eaten with butter, mutton or
dhal.
Festive
Specials
Festive food
comprises of a traditional meal called Dham prepared only by the
Brahmin chefs called Botis. They prepare this only in copper vessels
and the preparation initiates on the before night itself, and when it
is served when ready. It is served on leaf plates. Besides this
traditional meal, rice, curry, a curd dish, mustard raita, sweets and
pulses make a festival food. Other festival dishes are Ankalos made of
rice flour and Aktori is a cake made by mixing buck wheat leaves with
wheat flour. A pancake dish called Patande is also a festive special
food.
Other
foods
Himachal Pradesh
people also love other varieties such as South Indian, Chinese, Italian
and Thai food. They have Japan and Tibet influence on their cuisine.
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