Indian Food, Where Gastronomy Meets Science
Indian food is a journey full of flavours.
Forget gastronomy experts; scientists have figured out what makes Indian cuisine a much-sought-after gastronomic delight the world over. Among the many types of food in the global dining scenario, Indian food with its heady mix of ingredients and intoxicating aromas is a beloved cuisine. Coveted for the fact that it’s so delicious and labour-intensive, its blend of spices is a revelation to first-time eaters. Indian food has heavy doses of cardamom, tamarind, cayenne and other flavours. These can overwhelm unfamiliar palates, especially those in the Western world.
Common Food Trends
What makes Indian food so novel? In the gourmet and scientific world, a strange and subtle fact of this cuisine has been discovered. What makes Indian food unique is what recipes do with it. There is something of a radical nature in the combination of flavours in Indian food, which is unknown to the rest of the world. Consider what flavours do to food. On analysis of most Western food, scientists have found that popular pairings of flavours exist. These, at the molecular level, give food a distinct taste. Common pairings give flavour to food, and these don’t change much from one recipe to the other in many a cuisine. In the West, most food has overlapping flavours that don’t lend much to the uniqueness of taste.
Radical Flavour
What Indian food has, in its most inherent nature, are ingredients that rarely overlap with each new recipe. As a result, most dishes will not taste the same by dint of the range of spices used, each in different combinations. You can experience this in any fine dining Indian restaurant, in which a course of dishes is presented to you. Indian dishes have blends of ingredients whose flavours rarely overlap. To put it simply, the more two components overlap in their flavours, the less likely they appear in a single Indian recipe.
Unique Makeup
The distinctive makeup of Indian food is exhibited in some recipes more than in others. This is related to the use of particular ingredients. Typically, spices imply dishes have flavours with no chemical commonalities. Several Indian gourmet dishes have cayenne which forms the base of curry powder. In many dishes that contain cayenne, you won’t find any other ingredients that share similar tastes to cayenne. The same is true for coriander, green bell pepper and garam masala (a blend of hot spices).
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