PONDER ON THE SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES IN INDIAN AND GERMAN
CUISINE
GERMAN
Project Based Learning
Submitted by
Group 7
MUKIL S E
RISHIT SHARMA
SMIT SORATHIYA
B. NAVEEN
ARCHANA MUGI G M
SUKANYA KONAR
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(Under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956)
S.R.M. NAGAR, KATTANKULATHUR – 603 203
KANCHEEPURAM DISTRICT
December 2022
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity
in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally
available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits.
Indian food is also heavily influenced by religion, in particular Hinduism and Islam, cultural choices and
traditions.[1][2]
Historical events such as invasions, trade relations, and colonialism have played a role in introducing
certain foods to this country. The Columbian discovery of the New World brought a number of new
vegetables and fruit to India. A number of these such as potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, peanuts,
and guava have become staples in many regions of India.[3]
Indian cuisine has shaped the history of international relations; the spice trade between India
and Europe was the primary catalyst for Europe's Age of Discovery.[4] Spices were bought from India and
traded around Europe and Asia. Indian cuisine has influenced other cuisines across the world, especially
those from Europe (especially Britain), the Middle East, Southern African, East Africa, Southeast
Asia, North America, Mauritius, Fiji, Oceania, and the Caribbean.[
Ingredients
Staple food of Indian cuisine include pearl millet (bājra), rice, whole-wheat flour (aṭṭa), and a variety
of lentils, such as masoor (most often red lentils), tuer (pigeon peas), urad (black gram),
and moong (mung beans). Lentils may be used whole, dehusked—for example, dhuli moong or dhuli urad
—or split. Split lentils, or dal, are used extensively.[29] Some pulses, such
as channa or cholae (chickpeas), rajma (kidney beans), and lobiya (black-eyed peas) are very common,
especially in the northern regions. Channa and moong are also processed into flour (besan).
Many Indian dishes are cooked in vegetable oil, but peanut oil is popular in northern and western
India, mustard oil in eastern India,[25] and coconut oil along the western coast, especially in Kerala and
parts of southern Tamil Nadu.[30][self-published source?] Gingelly (sesame) oil is common in the south since it
imparts a fragrant, nutty aroma.[31]
In recent decades, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils have become popular across India.
Hydrogenated vegetable oil, known as Vanaspati ghee, is another popular cooking medium.[33] Butter-
[32]
based ghee, or deshi ghee, is used commonly.
Many types of meat are used for Indian cooking, but chicken and mutton tend to be the most commonly
consumed meats. Fish and beef consumption are prevalent in some parts of India, but they are not widely
consumed except for coastal areas, as well as the north east.[citation needed]
Lentils are a staple ingredient in Indian cuisine.
The most important and frequently used spices and flavourings in Indian cuisine are whole or
powdered chilli pepper (mirch, introduced by the Portuguese from Mexico in the 16th century), black
mustard seed
(sarso), cardamom (elaichi), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi), asafoetida (hing), ginger (adrak), coriander (
dhania), and garlic (lasoon).[34]
One popular spice mix is garam masala, a powder that typically includes seven dried spices in a particular
ratio, including black cardamom, cinnamon (dalchini), clove (laung), cumin (jeera), black peppercorns,
coriander seeds and anise star.[35][self-published source?]
Each culinary region has a distinctive garam masala blend—individual chefs may also have their
own. Goda masala is a comparable, though sweet, spice mix popular in Maharashtra. Some leaves
commonly used for flavouring include bay leaves (tejpat), coriander leaves, fenugreek (methi) leaves,
and mint leaves. The use of curry leaves and roots for flavouring is typical of Gujarati[36] and South Indian
cuisine.[37] Sweet dishes are often seasoned with cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, and rose petal essences.
Regional Cuisines
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Seafood plays a major role in the cuisine of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[38] Staples of the diet of the
Indigenous Andamanese traditionally include roots, honey, fruits, meat, and fish, obtained by hunting and
gathering. Some insects were also eaten as delicacies.[39] Immigration from mainland of India, however,
has resulted in variations in the cuisine.
Bengal
Mughal cuisine is a universal influencer in the Bengali palate, and has introduced Persian and Islamic
foods to the region, as well as a number of more elaborate methods of preparing food, like marination
using ghee. Fish, meat, rice, milk, and sugar all play crucial parts in Bengali cuisine.[48]
Bengali cuisine can be subdivided into four different types of dishes, charbya (চারব্য), or food that is
chewed, such as rice or fish; choṣya, or food that is sucked, such as ambal and tak; lehya (লেহ্য), or foods
that are meant to be licked, like chuttney; and peya (পেয়ে), which includes drinks, mainly milk.[49]
Shorshe Pabda (Pabo catfish in Mustard paste)
During the 19th century, many Odia-speaking cooks were employed in Bengal,[50] which led to the transfer
of several food items between the two regions. Bengali cuisine is the only traditionally developed multi-
course tradition from the Indian subcontinent that is analogous in structure to the modern service à la
russe style of French cuisine, with food served course-wise rather than all at once.[51]
Bengali cuisine differs according to regional tastes, such as the emphasis on the use of chilli pepper in
the Chittagong district of Bangladesh[52] However, across all its varieties, there is predominant use of
mustard oil along with large amounts of spices.
The cuisine is known for subtle flavours with an emphasis on fish, meat, vegetables, lentils, and rice.
Bread is also a common dish in Bengali cuisine, particularly a deep-fried version called luchi is
[53]
popular. Fresh aquatic fish is one of its most distinctive features; Bengalis prepare fish in many ways, such
as steaming, braising, or stewing in vegetables and sauces based on coconut milk or mustard.
East Bengali food, which has a high presence in West Bengal and Bangladesh, is much spicier than the
West Bengali cuisine, and tends to use high amounts of chilli, and is one of the spiciest cuisines in India
and the World.
Shondesh and Rashogolla are popular dishes made of sweetened, finely ground fresh cheese. For the latter,
West Bengal and neighboring Odisha both claim to be the origin of dessert. Each state also has
a geographical indication for their regional variety of rasgulla.[54][55]
The cuisine is also found in the state of Tripura and the Barak Valley of Assam.
Bihar
Bihari cuisine may include litti chokha,[56] a baked salted wheat-flour cake filled with sattu (baked
chickpea flour) and some special spices, which is served with baigan bharta,[57] made of roasted eggplant
(brinjal) and tomatoes.[58][59]
Among meat dishes, meat saalan[60] is a popular dish made of mutton or goat curry with cubed potatoes
in garam masala.
Dalpuri is another popular dish in Bihar. It is salted wheat-flour bread, filled with boiled, crushed, and
fried gram pulses.[61]
Malpua is a popular sweet dish of Bihar, prepared by a mixture of maida, milk, bananas, cashew nuts,
peanuts, raisins, sugar, water, and green cardamom. Another notable sweet dish of Bihar is balushahi,
which is prepared by a specially treated combination of maida and sugar along with ghee, and the other
worldwide famous sweet, khaja is made from flour, vegetable fat, and sugar, which is mainly used in
weddings and other occasions. Silao near Nalanda is famous for its production.
During the festival of Chhath, thekua, a sweet dish made of ghee, jaggery, and whole-meal flour,
flavoured with aniseed, is made.[58]
Other food items that are quite prominent in Bihar are, Pittha, Aaloo Bhujiya, Reshmi Kebab, Palwal ki
mithai, and Puri Sabzi.[62]
Litti Chokha
Delhi
Delhi was once the capital of the Mughal empire, and it became the birthplace of Mughlai cuisine. Delhi is
noted for its street food. The Paranthewali Gali in Chandani Chowk is just one of the culinary landmarks
for stuffed flatbread (parathas).
Delhi has people from different parts of India, thus the city has different types of food traditions; its
cuisine is influenced by the various cultures. Punjabi cuisine is common, due to the dominance of Punjabi
communities.[71]
Delhi cuisine is actually an amalgam of different Indian cuisines modified in unique ways. This is
apparent in the different types of street food available.
German cuisine
The cuisine of Germany (German: Deutsche Küche) is made up of many different local or regional
cuisines, reflecting the country's federal history. Germany itself is part of the larger cultural region
of Central Europe, sharing many culinary traditions with neighbouring countries such as Poland and
the Czech Republic. Southern regions, like Bavaria and Swabia, share dishes with Austrian cuisine and
parts of Swiss cuisine.
The Michelin Guide of 2015 awarded a three-star ranking (the highest designation) to 11 restaurants in
Germany, while 38 more received two-star rankings and 233 one-star rankings.[2] As of November 2017,
Germany had the fourth-highest number of Michelin three-star restaurants in the world,
after Japan, France, and the United States.[
Regional Cuisines
Baden-Württemberg
This southwest German state is divided into Baden and Swabia, whose cuisines are slightly different. Due
to Baden's physiogeographical situation in the Upper Rhine Plain, with Germany's warmest climate and
fruitful volcanic soils, it had good prerequisites to develop a high-quality gastronomy. Nationwide, this
region features the highest density of star-rated restaurants; the municipality of Baiersbronn is especially
well-known for its fine-dining restaurants. Swabian cuisine tends to be heavier than Badish cuisine.
Famous dishes of Baden-Württemberg are Maultaschen, Spätzle and Black Forest cake.
Bavaria
Roasted Schweinshaxe
The Bavarian dukes, especially the Wittelsbach family, developed Bavarian cuisine and refined it to be
presentable to the royal court. This cuisine has belonged to wealthy households, especially in cities, since
the 19th century. The (old) Bavarian cuisine is closely connected to Czech cuisine and Austrian
cuisine (especially from Tyrol and Salzburg), mainly through the Wittelsbach and Habsburg families.
Already in the beginning, Bavarians were closely connected to their neighbours in Austria through
linguistic, cultural and political similarities, which also reflected on the cuisine.
A characteristic Bavarian cuisine was further developed by both groups, with a distinct similarity
to Franconian and Swabian cuisine. A Bavarian speciality is the Brotzeit, a savoury snack, which would
originally be eaten between breakfast and lunch.
Bavaria is a part of Southeastern Germany, including the city of Munich and spreading to Germany's
borders with Austria and the Czech Republic. The region is located at higher elevations, and is known for
yielding beet and potato crops and also for the production of fine beers.
Franconia
Schäufele und Klöße
Franconia, a major region consisting roughly of the northern half of Bavaria, has its own distinct cuisine,
so distinct in fact that there is said to be a "White Sausage Equator" (Weißwurstäquator) that separates
Franconia from the rest of Bavaria. This is a reference to the fact that those north of the Weißwurstequator
do not generally eat the popular Weißwurst common in southern Bavaria. A characteristic of Franconian
food would include gravies (Soßen), food derived from potatoes, various meats, and, of course, bread.
Franconia is well known throughout Germany for its heavy foods covered in gravy. A good example of
Franconian food would be Schäufele and Klöße, which is a pork shoulder served with traditional potato
dumplings (Klöße or Knödel) covered in a gravy.
Hamburg
A snack typical for Hamburg: brown shrimps on roasted toast bread garnished with dill
Due to its centuries-old history as a harbour town, the traditional cuisine of Hamburg is very diversified
and sapid as the supply of ingredients was safe. Until the 20th century, it was predominantly characterized
by the extensive choice of different kinds of fish from the river Elbe and the quick access to both
the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, both being roughly 100 kilometers away from the city center. The
neighboring regions supplied the city state with fresh vegetables, fruit came mainly from a region
called Altes Land just southwest of Hamburg and until industrialization, the neighbourhood
of Wilhelmsburg was considered the ‘milk isle’ of Hamburg.
International trade made spices and exotic food items from Asia and South America available since the
16th century, and these were soon incorporated into civic kitchens. From this basis, the cuisine of
Hamburg developed its current characteristics thanks to the supraregional harmonization of the Northern
German and Scandinavian cuisine. Due to its high economic importance, Hamburg features many
internationally recognized gourmet restaurants: 11 of them were awarded a Michelin star in 2010.
Hessen
Frankfurter Kranz
Typical for Hessen are Frankfurter Rippchen, a spiked pork cutlet, which is often served
with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.
Also from Hessen comes the Frankfurt green sauce ("Grüne Sauce"). It is a cold sauce based on sour
cream with the local herbs borage, chervil, cress, parsley, pimpinelle, sorrel and chives. The start of the
season is traditionally Maundy Thursday ("Gründonnerstag"; which means "green Thursday" in German).
Green sauce is mostly served with potatoes and boiled eggs.
One of the best-known specialties from Hesse is the Frankfurter Kranz, a buttercream cake whose shape is
reminiscent of a crown; a reminiscence of Frankfurt as the historical coronation city of the German
emperors.
Cider ("Apfelwein" in German, or "Äppelwoi" in the Hessian dialect) is also very popular in and around
Frankfurt. In the historic district Sachsenhausen there is the so-called Cider Quarter ("Äppelwoiviertel"),
where there are numerous taverns that offer cider, especially in the summer months. In the cider
taverns, "Handkäs mit Musik" is offered as a snack, a sour milk cheese served in a marinade of onions,
vinegar and spices.
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