All about Indian religion and their culture

India’s culture is among the world's oldest; civilization in India began about 4,500 years ago. Many sources describe it as "Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara" — the first and the supreme culture in the world, according to the All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP) organization.

Western societies did not always see the culture of India very favorably, according to Christina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London. Early anthropologists once considered culture as an evolutionary process, and ”every aspect of human development was seen as driven by evolution,” she told Live Science. “In this view, societies outside of Europe or North America, or societies that did not follow the European or Western way of life, were considered primitive and culturally inferior.  Essentially this included all the colonized countries and people, such as African countries, India, and the Far East.".

However, Indians made significant advances in architecture (Taj Mahal), mathematics (the invention of zero) and medicine (Ayurveda). Today, India is a very diverse country, with more than 1.2 billion people, according to the CIA World Factbook, making it the second most populous nation after China. Different regions have their own distinct cultures. Language, religion, food and the arts are just some of the various aspects of Indian culture. Here is a brief overview of the culture of India.

Language

India has 28 states and seven territories, according to the World Health Organization. There is no official language in India, according to a Gujarat High Court ruling in 2010. Many people living in India also write in Devanagari script. In fact, it is a misconception that the majority of people in India speak Hindi. Though many people speak Hindi in India, 59 percent of India residents speak something other than Hindi, according to The Times of India. Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu are some other languages spoken in the country. 

Religion

India is identified as the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism, the third and fourth largest religions. About 84 percent of the population identifies as Hindu, according to the “Handbook of Research on Development and Religion” Edited by Matthew Clarke (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013). There are many variations of Hinduism, and four predominant sects — Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakteya and Smarta.

About 13 percent of Indians are Muslim, making it one of the largest Islamic nations in the world. Christians and Sikhs make up a small percentage of the population, and there are even fewer Buddhists and Jains, according to the “Handbook.”

Food

When the Moghul Empire invaded during the sixteenth century, they left a significant mark on the Indian cuisine, according to Texas A&M University. Indian cuisine is also influenced by many other countries. It is known for its large assortment of dishes and its liberal use of herbs and spices. Cooking styles vary from region to region.

Wheat, Basmati rice and pulses with chana (Bengal gram) are important staples of the Indian diet. The food is rich with curries and spices, including ginger, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, dried hot peppers, and cinnamon, among others. Chutneys — thick condiments and spreads made from assorted fruits and vegetables such as tamarind and tomatoes and mint, cilantro and other herbs — are used generously in Indian cooking.

Many Hindus are vegetarians, but lamb and chicken are common in main dishes for non-vegetarians. The Guardian reports that between 20 percent and 40 percent of India's population is vegetarian.

Much of Indian food is eaten with fingers or bread used as utensils. There is a wide array of breads served with meals, including naan, a leavened, oven-baked flatbread, and bhatoora, a fried, fluffy flatbread common in North India and eaten with chickpea curry.

Architecture and art

The most well-known example of Indian architecture is the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles. India also has many ancient temples.

India is well known for its film industry, which is often referred to as Bollywood. The country's movie history began in 1896 when the Lumière brothers demonstrated the art of cinema in Mumbai, according to the Golden Globes. Today, the films are known for their elaborate singing and dancing. 

Indian dance, music and theater traditions span back more than 2,000 years, according to Nilima Bhadbhade, author of “Contract Law in India” (Kluwer Law International, 2010). The major classical dance traditions — Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali — draw on themes from mythology and literature and have rigid presentation rules.

Clothing

Indian clothing is closely identified with the colorful silk saris worn by many of the country’s women. The traditional clothing for men is the dhoti, an unstitched piece of cloth that is tied around the waist and legs. Men also wear a kurta, a loose shirt that is worn about knee-length. For special occasions, men wear a sherwani, which is a long coat that is buttoned up to the collar and down to the knees. The Nehru jacket is a shorter version of a sherwani.

Customs and celebrations

The country celebrates Republic Day (Jan. 26), Independence Day (Aug. 15) and Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday (Oct. 2). Diwali is the largest and most important holiday to India, according to National Geographic. It is a five-day festival known as the festival of lights because of the lights lit during the celebration to symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Holi, the festival of colors, also called the festival of love, is popular in the spring.

Best foods around the world

What are the world’s most iconic dishes? What would be on the tip of a local’s tongue when suggesting what to taste, or the best place to find it? Furthermore, how many dishes contribute to defining a place? The world is a gastronomic paradise, its every corner harboring a distinct culinary identity. 

These dishes say more about a place than just what foods are eaten there. If you look a little closer, they reveal an inside truth about who they nourish and can be an up-close lens on a place's history. These foods draw influence from a country’s politics, geography, climate, a people’s makeup, and its culture. They’ve stood the test of time — whether derived from a colonist’s cuisine or in spite of it, and whether they've been updated for modern palates or kept in traditional form.

Regional specialties have ignited hundred-year debates, and a dish’s origins can create rifts between neighboring countries. Beyond that, where to find the best of any national dish, official or unofficial, can launch once close friends and family members into screaming matches. There exists a smartphone app created for the sole purpose of finding the best doubles in Trinidad and Tobago, an official "trail" in Canada for finding the best butter tarts around, and, well, Philly cheesesteak’s hotly contested reputation precedes it.

Foods like chilli crab in Singapore, hamburgers in America, fries in Belgium, Polish pierogies, Vietnamese pho, and currywurst in Germany, are sold on every corner and are must-trys that visitors are aware of before even booking a flight. Conversely, meals like Egyptian koshary, stamppot in the Netherlands, Polish bigos, cou-cou and flying fish in Barbados, and svíčková from the Czech Republic are perhaps surprises to travelers, but are historically or culturally noteworthy. These iconic dishes are all very different — historical and modern, delicious and acquired tastes, popular and old-fashioned. But they all not only introduce a visitor to the root of a place, they invite that visitor to dig a little deeper, and to come back for more. 

North America

Chicago hot dogs, Philly cheesesteaks, and Canadian poutine meet Bahamian conch, El Salvadorian pupusas, and Mexican moles. (American hamburger, left.)

South America

Latin cuisines use local oils and herbs mixed with succulent ground meats and thick stews, and use corn in any number of ways, from complementing citrusy Peruvian ceviche to starring in pastel de choclos in Chile.

Europe and the United Kingdom

One continent combines the old and new flavors of rich pâté de foie gras in France; spiced, bright currywurst in Germany; Swedish meatballs; gooey Swiss fondue; Polish pierogies; and Ukrainian borscht. 

Middle East and Africa

Hearty grains, nuts, and legumes make their way into many Middle Eastern and African foods, like Egyptian and Israeli falafel, Jordanian mansaf, ndole from Cameroon, spongy Ethiopian injera, and Senegalese thieb. 

Asia and the Pacific

The continent marries bright and beloved dishes like Singaporean chilli crab, Chinese peking duck, Indonesian nasi goreng, and Korean kimchi with hearty meats like Australian meat pies, tandoori dishes in India, and Filipino lechón. 

10 must try dishes when visiting to brazil

Brazil really does have it all. Larger cities like São Paulo and Rio boast unique culture, personality and nightlife, while the thousands of miles of coastline, epic countryside and hearty cuisine will have you in raptures. We've picked 10 essential Brazilian dishes to try on your visit.

Don't leave Brazil without trying... 

Barbecued meat

Brazil and Argentina both claim to be South America’s barbecue champion. And while each have a different approach – from the cuts to the accompaniments – some things remain the same; the ogre-sized quantities of meat, best appreciated at a leisurely pace, and with an elasticated waistband.

In Brazil, premium cuts (the most popular being picanha, rump cap) are seasoned with no more than a liberal shake of coarse salt, before being grilled to pink perfection over charcoal (or wood, if you’re doing it the old-fashioned Southern way). Home barbecues will see sausages, queijo coalho (squeaky cheese-on-a-stick) and chicken hearts sharing space on the grill, while in churrascarías (barbecue-style steakhouses) all manner of meats on skewers, from pork to lamb and wild boar, will be sliced by waiters straight onto your plate.

Moqueca (pronounced moo-kek-a)

More than a mere fish stew, moqueca is served with theatrical flourish as the piping hot clay pot is uncovered at the table amidst clouds of fragrant steam. Baianos (residents of Bahia, in the North-East) and Capixabas (from the neighbouring state of Espírito Santo) both lay claim to the origins of the dish, and both serve up equally tasty variations. At its simplest, fish and/or seafood are stewed in diced tomatoes, onions and coriander. The Capixabas add a natural red food colouring urucum (annatto seeds), while the Baianos serve a heavier version, with dendê (palm oil), peppers and coconut milk. It’s teamed with rice, farofa (fried manioc flour – ideal for mopping up juices) and pirão (a spicy, manioc flour fish porridge, that’s far tastier than it sounds).

Cachaça

Dating back to the 1500s, cachaça is made from fermented sugarcane juice, and is best known as the fiery kick in caipirinhas – Brazil’s national cocktail. While caipirinhas are often made with uncoloured, unaged cachaças, there are thousands of better-quality golden varieties, aged in wood barrels, and sipped straight up by aficionados.

For the morning after, clear your head with a Guaraná (a sweet, fizzy energy drink), an água de coco (coconut water, best sipped straight from the coconut) or caldo de cana (freshly pressed sugar cane juice).   

Brigadeiros

Brazil’s answer to the chocolate truffle, brigadeiros are so simple to make that they quite literally get rolled out for kids’ parties nationwide. The sweet balls are made by simmering condensed milk with cocoa powder, then whisking in butter and shaping the mix into balls before rolling in chocolate sprinkles. Guaranteed to give an instant sugar high, they’re cloyingly sweet for some palates. Brazilians won’t hear a word against them though.

Pão de queijo

Cheese and bread, two staple favourites the world over, are brought together in glorious union in Brazil’s pão de queijo (cheese bread). This moreish snack is enjoyed as much at breakfast as it is at any time of the day or night. Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, the gluten-free breads are made with tapioca flour, eggs and grated queijo Minas (a cow’s milk cheese from the state of Minas Gerais), rolled into small balls. For a naughty twist, you sometimes find pão de queijo in fist-sized rolls – or even the size of a cake – stuffed with anything from yet more cheese or cream cheese to various meaty fillings.  

Acarajé (pronounced a-ka-ra-zjeh)

One of the most calorie-laden street snacks I’ve ever had the good fortune to try, acarajé is a deep-fried patty of crushed black-eyed peas, palm oil and pureed onions, deep fried in yet more palm oil and then sliced open and stuffed with dried shrimp and vatapá – a rich and spicy puree of prawns, bread, cashew nuts and other ingredients. Originating in Bahia, in Brazil’s North-East, where the flavours have strong roots in African cooking, acarajé is at its best when made on the spot, served piping hot from the vat of oil, with a liberal dash of chilli sauce. 

Quindim

Another favourite from Bahia, quindim is a glossy yellow sweet made with nothing more than eggs, sugar and coconut (with butter a common addition). Baked in cupcake-sized moulds, the bottom is toasted and golden, dense with grated coconut, while the top is a smooth, firm custard that sticks pleasingly to the roof of the mouth. A classic example of Brazil’s miscegenation, quindim is said to derive from the word kintiti meaning ‘delicacy’ in kikongo language (spoken in the Congo and Angola), while the recipe itself was inspired by the Portuguese love affair with egg yolks in sweets and pastries.

Açaí (pronouned a-sa-ee)

Of all the thousands of fruits from the Amazon, açaí is the best known, thanks to its super-food status. Traditionally eaten by indigenous tribes for energy, the hard purple berry is also used in Amazonian cooking, as a sauce with fish. A clever marketing campaign in the ’80s thrust it into the spotlight as the energy snack of choice for surfers in glamorous Rio de Janeiro. Served as a sweet, gloopy, frozen sorbet, sometimes topped with granola and slices of banana, or whizzed up in juices, it can found in every café, bakery, juice bar and supermarket across the country. You can even buy açaí  vodka, and açaí  beer.

Feijoada

One of the few dishes eaten the length and breadth of Brazil, feijoada is a hearty stew of black beans, sausages and cuts of pork of varying quality – traditionally veering towards the lower end, with trotters, and ears all going into the mix. A labour of love, feijoada done the old fashioned way takes up to 24 hours to make, between soaking beans and desalting pork. Which is why most Brazilians go out to restaurants and bars to eat it – and only ever on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Rice, kale, orange slices, farofa (toasted manioc flour) and pork scratchings are served on the side, with a tipple of cachaça to ease digestion.

Fried bar snacks

Beer, served so cold that chunks of ice stick to the bottle, is the drink of choice in Brazil. And an assortment of fried foods makes the perfect pairing, be it pastéis – deep-fried parcels of crisp pastry filled with melting cheese, or minced beef, or creamy palm heart –, or crunchy batons of manioc, bolinhos (‘little balls’) most often made with salt cod. Or perhaps coxinha (‘little thigh’), with shredded chicken and potato pureed, shaped like a (very voluptuous) thigh and covered in golden breadcrumbs.