Brief about Continental food and Indian Food

Continental Food verses Indian Food

Continental food is a term referred to cuisines from Europe and other Western countries. Continental cuisine can be better understood as Western cuisine & cuisines in Europe. Meat is more prominent in cuisines in Europe as France, Italy, UK, Sweden, America, England, Australia, New Zeeland etc. Wines made from grapes are paired with the foods. Sauces & condiments have a substantial importance. Sauces are served as accompaniments with the main dishes as well as a part of the main dishes. Six main sauces called as Mother Sauces are added with ingredients to make new sauces called as Derivatives. Meats & vegetables are cooked and served in the sauce. Sauces provide names to the dishes for an example chicken sautéed and added in Mornay sauce (a derivative of first mother sauce called Béchamel made by adding cheese in béchamel sauce) will be named as Poulet mornay (Poulet- Chicken).

 Comparatively less use of fat or even no use of fat is witnessed in the cooking techniques. Fatless cooking methods as poaching, steaming, braising, poeling, boiling, blanching are preferred. Stocks made by simmering of meats, meat bones, fish, fish bones and even vegetables are used to nutritionally balance the dishes. Meals are balanced with the use of meats for protein, vegetables for vitamins, potato preparations for carbohydrates in almost every platter. Soups are served to initiate the appetite at the start of the meals.

Our nation India is again very rich when food & food habits are taken into consideration. Indian cuisine fringes together a variety of regional foods native to various regions in Indian itself. Food flavors; methods of cooking & a variety of regional dishes are prepared with distinct tastes and well balanced nutritive values.

Developments in almost every field in India have led people from India to travel across the globe and people around the globe are attracted to visit India with specified reasons resulting in a considerable exchange of food habits and food delicacies available around the globe.

Indian cuisine has come up as one of the most demanding cuisines throughout the globe. Combination of spices, vegetables and meats, use of milk and milk products along with a variety of other raw materials contributing in dishes balanced nutritionally satisfying the appetite to the people from the different parts of the world.  Technical as well as experienced hands make the dishes highly elevated in taste. Indian food witnesses its value in different ways. We can find food dishes having their importance for specific times like medicinal food which is a prominent part of Indian food providing required nutritional value as well as detestability value as required by the consumer. The concept of Kaccha Khanna (food dishes not tempered) & Pakka Khanna (tempered foods) in the Indian cuisines is another example of well researched food habits of Idians. Kaccha khana is the food which is served to the travellers starting a long journey understanding its ease of digestibility. Use of milk & milk products like Ghee is prominent in balancing the nutritive value.

Herbs and condiments are used considering their effects on the human body  for an example turmeric is used as an antiseptic, fennel seeds for their cooling effect, Amla (Indian Gooseberry) – Vitamin C good to cure cough, cold & diabetes, Ashok ( Bark & Flower)-  cures Menstrual pain, uterine disorder, diabetes etc.

Indian food is also famous for various combinations of herbs & spices called Masalas. These Masalas are made with the adequate quantities of spices & condiments ready to be added in meat and vegetable preparations.

Both Indian food and continental food have their advantages over the natives and inhabitants of the regions. Food items and dishes are made according to the climatic conditions and the ingredients available in these regions. Industrialization, globalization & modernization have made people well aware with the delicacies enjoyed around the globe. We now days have freedom enough to choose our meals according to our choices and even cook the delicacies according to our threshold to the tastes.

-Chef Ashish Raina