Indian Festival Traditions Anand Mela! A Joyful Gathering |
India Besides spices, other key ingredients are dairy products, ghee (clarified butter and cheese curds), dals, and rice. Fried vegetable patties, somosas (small, stuffed, and fried pies), soups, and crackers serve as snacks or appetizers. Kebabs, biryanis (meat and rice dishes), and stews of various vegetables alone or mixed with chicken, lamb, beef, or cheese curds are served alongside pickles and chutneys (pickled and spiced fruits), as are meats prepared in a tandoori (clay) oven. Chapatis, rotis, and parathas are among the variety of flat and sometimes stuffed breads made from wheat flour or ground legumes rounds out most meals .Desserts consist of rice pudding flavored with cardamom, mango ice cream, or gulab jamun (honey soaked doughnuts) served with hot chai (spiced and sweetened tea with milk). In Iowa, homemade Indian food also makes use of ingredients found here such as corn and soy beans, which
are combined with traditional spices to create new dishes. TOP Music There are two distinct and independent Indian classical music traditions: Hindustani (from north India) and Carnatic (from south India). Both are characterized by two features central to all Indian classical music: raga (scale) and tala (rhythm or beats, similar to metre in the western musical system). Classical Indian dance is based on Indian classical music, which always accompanies the dance. TOP Dance
Text by Riki Saltzman with the assistance of Rema Nilakanta, Pramod Sarin, and Pramod Mahajan. Photos by Will Thomson, Teresa Zilk & Riki Saltzman.
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