European dishes
When Indian food becomes slowly unbearable, and the stomach is crying out for something more familiar, you can always look for a place, where European food is served. Polish gourmets will satisfy their preferences in the easiest way, when ordering for breakfast … scrambled eggs in butter, bo – as far as we know – Indian chefs have not heard about dumplings.
Toasts with jam are served with scrambled eggs or an omelette, and often also corn flakes in hot milk, although the quality of the latter may leave much to be desired. The popular oatmeal is very often found in the breakfast menu.
A leftover from colonial times is the habit of eating lunch, here called tiffin, which most often consists of a light meal or snack. In India, fries have become very popular, however, by ordering them, you have to expect, that they will not always be tasty. Indian chefs jokingly refer to them as "Chinese potatoes" or "sticks".
Desserts and sweets
Hindus are famous for their taste for sweet dishes (very sweet!), therefore, tourists coming to their country should not be surprised by the variety of desserts and sweets, what is served in local restaurants. Desserts are most often prepared with rice or milk.
One of the most popular is kulfi, slightly reminiscent of pistachio ice cream. Of course, Western ice cream is widely available in India, such as Vadelal, Go Cool, Kwality or Havmor, very tasty and not posing any health risk. Another famous Indian dessert is ras gulla, small, sweet cheese balls with rose water.
Gulaab Jamun is an example of a dessert in syrup, prepared from boiled milk (khoja), fried and seasoned with cardamom and sprinkled with rose water. Dźalebi, different shapes of orange colored cookies, with syrup inside, It is made from flour mixed with saffron. And to the yellow balls, called land, chickpea flour is used.
Bar-fi is also made of khoja milk, available in several flavors, m.in. coconut, pistachio, chocolate and almond. Sandeś is also prepared on the basis of milk, eaten especially in Calcutta. In the south, a sweet drink is enjoyed with pleasure, called pajasam, which includes coconut milk, mango pulp, nuts and roots. Transparent, colorful dessert, made from carrots, milk and sweet spices, to gadźar the halwa.
Many sweets and desserts sold in India are covered with a silver coating, which should not be removed, because it is edible. Store shelves buckle under the weight of the jars, in which all kinds of sweets are stored. Their prices range between 40 a 60 INR per kilogram, At the beginning, however, it is best to buy a small amount or ask for a piece to try. These stores often sell sour milk, also sweetened, which can successfully replace any dessert. The variety of Indian sweets is so huge, that their description would take many pages. So it's best to see their taste for yourself.
Fruit
There is no shortage of fruit in India. Cherries and strawberries are extremely popular in Kashmir, and in Himacal Phradesh – moral. In the northern regions, especially in the Kullu valley in Himacal Pradesh, you can get different kinds of apples.
An extremely popular fruit in India is watermelon, which will perfectly satisfy even the greatest thirst, for example then, when boiled water is missing. Coconut milk can play a similar role, which are sold on city streets, most often in the south. Once the milk is drained, the seller will cut the fruit, that you can eat the flesh with a piece of crust.
In summer, delicious mangoes are easy to get here. Bananas are sold almost all over the country, most often, however, in the south, and pineapples. Oranges are mainly found in the state of Kerala and the Ganges Plain, while mandarins are available in central India during the summer. All fruits are the perfect complement to any meal.
Cooking books
If someone likes Indian cuisine, after returning home, she can prepare dishes typical of her, using recipes from cookbooks. One of them is Katarzyna Pospieszyńska's Culinary Adventure (Warsaw 1991), containing an extensive chapter on the cuisine of this country.
Paan
Every meal in India should end with paan, as in the Hindu language a mixture of spices and roots chewed with areca nuts is called, which themselves are not edible. This drug, also called betel, has a refreshing and slightly stimulating effect and supports digestion.
Vendors usually have several small trays, boxes and dishes, in which they mix the two varieties of paan saadha (tasteless) orazinithaa (sweet). Among its ingredients, apart from areca seeds, there may be powdered limestone, called defile u, various spices, and even a pinch of opium, which of course, increases the price of this stimulant. This mixture, wrapped in an edible leaf, chews, and then it spits out to the ground, leaving a red trail. Frequent chewing paan makes, that after some time a reddish coating will appear on the teeth, you also have to remember, so as not to become addicted to this stimulant. It's best to be moderate and only try it occasionally.