HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF INDIAN FOOD

Outside India Indian food is popular the world over, from Tokyo to Telford and from Canberra to California. For centuries India has produced an unusually diverse cuisine. The food of the 17 states that make up India is as varied as the food of the countries of Europe. It was in India that the Aryan cultural ethos flowered, bringing to every area of human activity, including food and dietetics, a spiritual and moral dimension. It was on Indian soil that immigrants from many different cultures and traditions came together - Persians, Muslims, and Europeans - creating a food culture which, enlivened by distinctive regional nuances, is among the greatest in the world. This Dictionary provides, in A-Z format, a huge amount of information on the food, the food culture, recipes, and cuisine of India. It covers areas such as history, literature, botany, genetics, and archaeology and places Indian food in time and context.