Spice traditions of the subcontinent — tempered oils, slow-simmered curries, leavened and unleavened breads, and dairy as both ingredient and art form.
Twenty-eight states, thousands of regional traditions. Tempering, layering of spice, and the world's deepest vegetarian repertoire.
Mughal grandeur in biryani and nihari, Punjabi tandoori traditions, and the breakfast cultures of the Khyber and Sindh.
Fish-and-rice cuisine of the Bengal delta. Hilsa, posto, panch phoron, and an extraordinary tradition of milk-based sweets.
Coconut, curry leaf, pandan, and Maldive fish. Hopper breakfasts, kottu rotti dinners, and the sharpest spice on the subcontinent.
Dal bhat as daily ritual, Newari feast cuisine, momos in the Himalayan style, and the food cultures of altitude.
Chili as vegetable, not seasoning. Ema datshi, red rice, yak butter tea — the cuisine of the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
Tuna as foundation — dried, smoked, in broths, in flaky breakfast mas huni. Coconut, chili, and the sea as larder.
Kabuli pulao, mantu dumplings, naan from the tandoor. A Persian-Central-Asian cuisine of grand hospitality.