India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [35]
SWEETS Indians love sweets (called mithais, mishtaan, or “sweet meats”), and they love them very sweet. In fact, Western palates often find Indian sweets too sweet; if this is the case, sample the dry-fruit-based sweets. Any occasion for celebration necessitates a round of sweets as a symbol of spreading sweetness (happiness). Every region of the country has a variety of specialty sweets made from an array of ingredients, but they are largely milk-based. This includes pedas and laddus (soft, circular), barfis (brownielike), halwas (sticky or wet), kheer (rice pudding–like), and so on. Whatever you do, don’t miss the Indian kulfi, a creamy, rich ice cream flavored with saffron, nuts, or seasonal fruit.
FRUITS If the spiciness of the meals unsettles your stomach, try living on fruit for a day. You’ll get a whole range of delicious tropical varieties (with any luck, in a basket in your hotel room) ranging from guavas and jackfruit to litchi and the most coveted fruit of them all, the mango. More than 200 varieties of mangoes are grown in India, but the most popular ones (Alphonso or aphoos) come from Maharashtra (Mar–June); try to taste one when you’re in Mumbai.
BEVERAGES Chai (tea) is India’s national drink. Normally served in small quantities, it is hot, made with milk usually flavored with ginger and/or cardamom, and rather sweet unless you request otherwise. Instant coffee is widely available (and may be mixed in your five-star hotel’s “filter coffee” pot), but in South India you’ll get excellent fresh brews. Another drink worth trying is lassi, liquefied sweetened yogurt. Note: The yogurt is sometimes thinned with water, so you’re only safe consuming lassis in places where they can assure you no water was added at all, or where they will make it with bottled water (that you purchase separately). Lassi’s close companion is chaas, a savory version that is very thin and served with Gujarati/Rajasthani meals. With southern food, it is served with a flavorful assortment of herbs and spices. In general, you should avoid ice in any beverage unless you are satisfied that it is made from boiled water.
EATING ETIQUETTE Eating with your hands: Indians generally eat with their hands, and although many don’t do so in five-star Westernized restaurants, the majority will in most other places. Even the simplest restaurant will be able to provide a spoon as cutlery, but if you really want to experience your meal in an authentic manner, follow suit. Note that you should ideally only use your right hand (though in places where tourists go, people are unlikely to be offended if you use your left). In the north, where the food is “drier,” you are traditionally not supposed to dirty more than the first two digits of your fingers. In the south, where the food is much “wetter,” you may use the whole hand to eat.
Sharing your food: It is typically Indian to share food or drinks, even if you don’t really want to. On long train journeys, you’re likely to meet Indian families carrying a lot of food, which they will invite you to share—do sample some, if only to get a taste of home cooking. In return, you can buy them a round of tea or cold drinks when the vendors come by.
Sharing food at a restaurant is another Indian norm; menus are set up to cater to this style of dining. So, for example, if two or more of you go to a Mughlai restaurant, you would order perhaps two kinds of kebabs, two kinds of meat/vegetable entrees, one rice, and several breads (rotis). It’s a good way to try a range of items.
The hygiene of jootha: While sharing is good manners, jootha is considered