Indian food etiquette

Due to the influence of nationality, history and culture, the diet of Indians is very different between north and south. Influenced by the northern Islin culture, cooking is usually Mughal, characterized by a lot of meat, grain and bread. The south is vegetarian, characterized by rice and spicy curry. The only similarity of all Indian dishes is that they all like spicy food.

When guests arrive in India, they should say hello to their host and family. Welcome the host to wash in the bathroom before and after meals. When you are a guest in an Indian home, rinse your mouth and wash your hands before eating.

In traditional Indian families and rural areas, guests usually eat with men, the elderly and children first, and women eat after the guests finish eating. Even if people of different sexes eat at the same time, they can't talk to the opposite sex.

The basic foods of Indian families are rice, home-cooked cakes, condiments and two or three dishes of side dishes dipped in bread. The common condiments are Gan Qing pickles and coriander leaves. Indian dinner often starts with soup, usually thin curry, and the rest of the dishes are usually served at the same time, rather than several dishes. In addition to dinner, there are complementary foods, the most common ones are salad and yogurt. Dessert after dinner is usually ice cream, pudding and fresh fruit.

At the Indian dining table, the host usually serves the food for the guests politely, and the guests can't help it. At the same time, guests can't refuse to give you food and drinks. Food is considered as a gift from God, and refusing food is ungrateful to God. If you can't finish the food on your plate, don't give it to others. Once you touch food, it will become a pollutant. Many Indians must find out whether their food has been touched by pagans or people from other social classes before eating.

As a guest, you should pay tribute to the host after dinner, but you should praise the food for its delicious taste and show that you like it very much. Generally don't say "thank you" and other words of thanks, so as not to be considered a stranger.