We often see Indian food in videos. No matter what the ingredients are, they will end up in a paste, and most of them will be yellow paste. The food that comes out looks like a sticky mess, and it’s hard to tell what the ingredients are.
We don’t understand this very much. We Chinese people are very particular about the preparation of food, so that it looks good, tasty, and appetizing. The Indian food is all mushy, and we don’t seem to have much appetite. Why do Indians make food into paste?
In fact, there is a reason for this. The soil and water support the people. The diet of Indians is closely related to their environment, climate, culture, customs and other factors.
1. Regional and climatic factors
India is located in South Asia and is the largest country in the South Asian subcontinent. It is located in the South Asian monsoon region and has a tropical monsoon climate. This climate is characterized by high temperatures throughout the year and precipitation that is clearly divided into dry and rainy seasons.
Because India has a tropical climate, especially in summer, it is hot and high. In such a high temperature environment, no matter how good the food is, it is not conducive to storage. It will be very easy to rot and deteriorate over time. If these foods are made into a paste and more spices are put in it, it will be relatively easier to preserve the food.
2. Various spices can sterilize
There are always many kinds of spices in Indian food. Especially curry, a must-have for every meal. Indians' love for curry is incomprehensible. They put curry in it just like we put salt in stir-fry dishes. It is a must in island food. What they face every day is a variety of curries. Without curry, Indians feel that their meals have lost their soul.
Indians’ obsession with various spices is mainly due to the climate in India and has a lot to do with people’s living habits. Most of India has a tropical monsoon climate, and the humid and high temperature climate is also a necessary condition for the growth of various spices.
In order to adapt to this hot and humid environment, Indians like to eat various spices. The pungent and pungent smell of these spices can kill bacteria in food, remove moisture from the human body, and is also beneficial to food preservation. Therefore, when Indians make food, they always add a lot of spicy seasonings such as curry, and then boil the food into a "mushy" state before eating it.
In addition to seasonings, Indians also particularly like onions and tomatoes, and they can’t live without them. Onions are even more popular among Indians. Onions are also used to kill bacteria.
3. It is related to India’s eating habits
The reason why Indians like to eat mushy food is related to their eating habits. We know that Indians do not use any utensils when eating and like to grab the rice with their hands and bring it to their mouths. In particular, the daily staple food of Indians is rice. After the ingredients are made into a paste, it can be blended well with the rice, and it is also easy and convenient to grab it with your hands.
And because India is rich in various seasonings, it is a big country of spices, with all kinds of spices available. They add various spices to food because they believe that only by adding various spices and boiling them for a long time can the food be fragrant and arouse people's appetite, so that it tastes more delicious.
In addition, it is said that Indians like to grab rice with their hands, make the rice into a paste and add various seasonings, which is also imported. When the Aryans invaded India, they introduced this Middle Eastern eating habit to India.
People in the Middle East like to put a lot of spices in their food. At that time, it may be to better store food and prevent bacteria and food deterioration. Moreover, Muslims in the Middle East also like to eat with their hands. When these habits came to India, combined with local customs, they quickly became popular.