The silver lining of growing up in a South Asian family, more precisely a Bengali family, is that you are fed so much that eventually, your digestive system is receptive to almost all kind of foods, be it xxx spice or a boiled bitter guard.

The other thing that is great out it is the closeness of distant family. In a regular Indian household, you'll find cousins loitering around, scratching each other and backing each other if necessary. Undoubtedly, cuisines and cousins are the two of the most important things in an Indian's life.

Let me describe my country to you in a few words. India, the great glorious, politically seesawing and economically swimming country of mine mothers 28 states, each with almost different languages and different cultures and different foods and styles. Basically you are an alien when you travel interstate.

Let us be clear about one thing, India has 22 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES and NO national language. So whoever calls Hindi the national language, can go and cry in a corner (I am being too nice LoL).

But language ain't the point of discussion today. Today we talk about the food of Asia, not all but the once that I've tasted and liked.

First thing is roshogolla (sorry couldn't help myself). There has been a long lasting feud between Orissa and Bengal about who made roshogolla.

Yes guys, a feud for food, well, a fluffy sweet. While Odia people claim that roshogolla originates from khir mohon, a type of Indian sweet, very similar to our nominal sweet, Bengalis claim that it was created by Nobin Chandra Das, a confectioner based in Calcutta who accidentally dropped a chhena and semolina ball into a hot pot of syrup. The outcome was roshogolla. Keeping aside the feud, roshogolla is an India famous sweet or mithai or mishti which is recognized by it's whiteness and fluffy texture, soaked in delicious sugar syrup. Wallah! Across India, it is known as Rasgulla or rasgulle but come on, it's roshogolla for us always.

Second is Phuchka or the world famous street snack golgappa, also known as panipuri. Here we need a clearance. All the three names indicate the same food but with a little twist. The food is called phuchka in Bengal, Golgappa in Delhi and neighbouring states and Panipuri in the western India. Unlike roshogolla which was made in the contemporary times, phuchka dates back to the Pre Cambrian era of India.

Legends say that Draupadi of Mahabharata was tasked by her mother in law to make food out of some stale veggies and a limited amount of dough and some tamarinds. What a witty woman she was to invent is extraordinary snack! She rolled the dough into tiny circles and deep fried them. She mashed the stale veggies and made a syrup out of the tamarinds. And Viola!! The star was born. Phuchka is nothing but deep fried hollow dough balls stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes and tamarind water and green chutney.

Chowmein. A dish, originally made in China has now mesmerized tongues all over the world. The recipe of the food changes as we move round the globe.

In America chowmein is stir fried with onions, celery and carrots, sided with meats. In Australia it's boiled egg noodles with the sides of pork or sea food. The Japanese variation has plenty of green veggies and sea foods or meat, sometimes eaten like ramen in a bowl of hot stew.

The Indian chowmein again originates from Calcutta where, during and after the British reign, a large population of Japanese and Chinese had migrated. The Calcutta chowmein or basically the Indian chowmein is a mixture of noodles, veggies and scrambled eggs, stirred in hot garlic and soya sauce. Nothing but good food.

Talking of food and skipping biriyani is heinous crime for an Asian. Biriyani is not only popular in India but also all over Asia and even some parts of Africa. I cannot say rigidly that the food has it's roots in India as there are various theories regarding the origin of biriyani. Restauranteur Kris Dhillon says that biriyani comes from Persia while historian Lizzie Collingham and others claim that it started from the Mughal kitchen and so on.

The process of making a delicious, finger licking biriyani is quite laborious and time consuming but the outcome is heaven on Earth. To describe biriyani in simpler words, it's a mix of rice, mutton/other meats, fragrant spices, sometimes potatoes and eggs, onions and secret spices, cooked in dum or high pressure for a long time. It's a heavy primary dish, sided by a yogurt dip called raita and a chilly gravy called Mirchi ka salan.

There are many varieties of biriyani, the first being the beef biriyani or kalyani biriyani, formerly eaten by the Nawabs of South India. This type of biriyani has lost it's spark since the closure of monarchy in India.

Nasi kebuli is an Indonesian spicy steamed rice dish cooked in goat meat broth, milk and ghee. Nasi kebuli is descended from kabuli palaw which is an Afghani rice dish, similar to biryani served in the Indian subcontinent.

Biryani in Thailand is commonly known as khao mhok. It is commonly paired with chicken, beef or even fish and topped with fried garlic. The dish is common in Thai cuisine and often served with a green sour sauce.
A different dish called biryan is popular in Afghanistan. It is prepared by cooking meat and rice together without any additional curry or yakhni.

Next comes the Hyderabadi biryani, India's favorite type of biriyani, cooked with basmati rice, spices and goat meat. Popular variations use chicken instead of goat meat. The Hyderabadi biryani is known as the crown dish of Hyderabadi Muslims.
The Calcutta biriyani was brought to the land by the ruler of Awadh. It's popular for it's rich assortments of meat, potatoes and eggs along with spiced rice. This type of biriyani is said to be the gift of Bangalee chefs to the Nawab of Awadh, a trick to get into the royal kitchen.

PS: VEG BIRIYANI is a myth. It is called pulao or pilaf when there is no meat, a secondary dish, usually eaten with some curry.

India, a land still struggling with it's religious barricades and regular hate crimes despite the world's greatest diversity, often finds unity in a plate full of biriyani. I don't mind is food brings us close. I don't mind because an age old Bengali proverb goes,

"the way to a person's heart is through his stomach."

TheSamyP