Myths about Indian Foods & Cuisine That You Need To Know

Indian food is a cuisine that is savoured by all people irrespective of borders and continents. This is evident from the fact that wherever you may go, you might find a stall, a vendor, a hotel or a restaurant that offers Indian cuisine. However, I have observed that after crossing borders, even myths are served as accompaniments! There a lot of myths I hear about whenever I am in a place outside of India. So much that people come to me and ask if this is really the case. Here, I highlight some of the common delusions that abundant all over.

Myth 1: Indian food is vegetarian, strictly.

Though true to some extent, Indian cuisine is not "strictly" vegetarian. India is a blend of many cultures and sects. Hindus mainly follow a vegetarian course of meal; there are but smaller sects within the religion that follow their own food style.

India has a huge population of meat eaters and sea food lovers. As a matter of fact, chicken is the most popular meat in India. Cows are considered sacred here and there is a ban on even possessing beef.

Myth 2: If it's Chicken Tikka, it has to be Indian food.

This myth has been imported to England and has been made very popular by them. The fact is, chicken tikka is a dish that was introduced by the Mughals to India. The dish then was adopted by the Punjab region where it underwent some modifications to suit the taste buds of the locals. The dish then went where the Punjabis went; though foreigners may find it relishing, Chicken Tikka is not much popular in India as it has a lot of competition from other dishes.

Myth 3: If it's spicy, it's Indian food.

Yet another very prominent myth that does the round of almost every mouth that feeds on Indian food abroad. India is a melting pot and thus has thousands of dishes to its credit mainly because of the diversity in culture in every state. Though spicier than European or American cuisine, Indian cuisine also has recipes that are sweet to taste. Try a Gujarati dish for an experience; you might find a touch of sweetness even in lentils and vegetable dishes.

Myth 4: Indian food is monotonous.

This is perhaps the biggest mistake one could make while thinking of Indian food. India comprises of 29 states, each having a population that speaks different language, lives a different lifestyle, celebrates their own festivals and has their own gourmet. Believe me, if you decide to try out Indian dishes, your journey might end but the varieties that Indian food offers would never end.

Myth 5: Indian food means curry.

Curry is a term that Indians take it very differently from the notion that people everywhere else have. In the southern part of India, curry means a side-dish, with or without gravy. Curry comes from the Tamil word Kari, meaning meat as an accompaniment alongside main course.

With this article, I hope you get to know Indian food and cuisine better; I can now refer this article to people who are confused about the real Indian cuisine.

The author is a chef at a popular hotel and specializes in Indian Foods & Cuisine . He also is invited as a guest chef at various hotels across the globe and as he finds time from the fork and knives, he writes about the eccentrics and absurdities of food culture.

View the original article here

Myths about Indian Foods & Cuisine That You Need To Know

Indian food is a cuisine that is savoured by all people irrespective of borders and continents. This is evident from the fact that wherever you may go, you might find a stall, a vendor, a hotel or a restaurant that offers Indian cuisine. However, I have observed that after crossing borders, even myths are served as accompaniments! There a lot of myths I hear about whenever I am in a place outside of India. So much that people come to me and ask if this is really the case. Here, I highlight some of the common delusions that abundant all over.

Myth 1: Indian food is vegetarian, strictly.

Though true to some extent, Indian cuisine is not "strictly" vegetarian. India is a blend of many cultures and sects. Hindus mainly follow a vegetarian course of meal; there are but smaller sects within the religion that follow their own food style.

India has a huge population of meat eaters and sea food lovers. As a matter of fact, chicken is the most popular meat in India. Cows are considered sacred here and there is a ban on even possessing beef.

Myth 2: If it's Chicken Tikka, it has to be Indian food.

This myth has been imported to England and has been made very popular by them. The fact is, chicken tikka is a dish that was introduced by the Mughals to India. The dish then was adopted by the Punjab region where it underwent some modifications to suit the taste buds of the locals. The dish then went where the Punjabis went; though foreigners may find it relishing, Chicken Tikka is not much popular in India as it has a lot of competition from other dishes.

Myth 3: If it's spicy, it's Indian food.

Yet another very prominent myth that does the round of almost every mouth that feeds on Indian food abroad. India is a melting pot and thus has thousands of dishes to its credit mainly because of the diversity in culture in every state. Though spicier than European or American cuisine, Indian cuisine also has recipes that are sweet to taste. Try a Gujarati dish for an experience; you might find a touch of sweetness even in lentils and vegetable dishes.

Myth 4: Indian food is monotonous.

This is perhaps the biggest mistake one could make while thinking of Indian food. India comprises of 29 states, each having a population that speaks different language, lives a different lifestyle, celebrates their own festivals and has their own gourmet. Believe me, if you decide to try out Indian dishes, your journey might end but the varieties that Indian food offers would never end.

Myth 5: Indian food means curry.

Curry is a term that Indians take it very differently from the notion that people everywhere else have. In the southern part of India, curry means a side-dish, with or without gravy. Curry comes from the Tamil word Kari, meaning meat as an accompaniment alongside main course.

With this article, I hope you get to know Indian food and cuisine better; I can now refer this article to people who are confused about the real Indian cuisine.

The author is a chef at a popular hotel and specializes in Indian Foods & Cuisine . He also is invited as a guest chef at various hotels across the globe and as he finds time from the fork and knives, he writes about the eccentrics and absurdities of food culture.

View the original article here

8 Things to Know About Putting Your Restaurant on Foursquare

While Facebook and Twitter are among the most popular social media sites, foursquare is one that's gaining a lot of notice. A mobile app enables users to check in to restaurants and look them up based on cuisine. Here are some tips for making it work for you:

1.) Keep It Short
As a mobile app, people are scrolling through hundreds of restaurant pages while they are on the move. No one wants to read a whole essay just to find out what type of food you serve. Keep your description short and sweet. When you first create your page, add brief but important details- any daily specials you have, hours of operation, phone numbers, etc.

2.) Upload Your Menu
Be sure to include your lunch and dinner menus if they're different.

3.) Post Pictures
Post high quality pictures of your restaurant and take pictures in the daylight so your restaurant is recognizable and easy to find. A hungry person scrolling through this app may be enticed by delicious-looking food so upload photos of your food as well.

4.) Offer Rewards
Foursquare offers 'Badges' to 'Mayors' who check into venues frequently. You can also sweeten the deal by offering additional rewards or special loyalty programs for Foursquare users.

5.) Add Additional Info about Your Restaurant
Add details on happy hour specials, buffet offerings, delivery options, valet parking, etc. Any information about your restaurant will help.

6.) Link it to Other Sites
Add links to your restaurant's home page, Face book page, Twitter page, Yelp.com - any other sites that make you look good. These help a curious Foursquare user determine if your food really is as good as advertised. Once they see the amount of likes on your Face book page and users posting good feedback, they'll feel reassured and more willing to try your place out.

7.) Update Your Page Regularly
If you have new and exciting specials, holiday promotions, or any other deals that you want your customers to find out about, keep your page updated.

8.) Online Ordering Options
Consider adding an option for online ordering for either pickup or delivery.

Raising Funds For Your Restaurant?

Foodstart helps restaurants, food trucks, breweries, cafes, and others in the food-and-beverage industry raise capital in small increments online.

The idea: create a network of people who want to see your business succeed and you will increase the chances that you actually will. It's the same reason the Green Bay Packers created 300,000 shareholders and the Obama campaigns raised money in five-dollar increments.

Here are some of the ways Foodstart can help you raise money for your business:

Pay Backers with Free Dessert, not Cash
With Foodstart you pay backers only in free perks and rewards that you determine in advance. Try getting Bank of America to do that!

Social-Media Marketing Program
Foodstart will provide online ads, campaign consultations, custom-designed fliers, custom Twitter and Facebook updates, and even will draft and distribute press releases - for free

Seed Match
Foodstart will seed your business with $1,000 - just raise at least $5k from at least 20 different people.

Physical Backer Cards
Foodstart will send every backer a card they can use to redeem rewards.

Low Fees
Foodstart charge just 4% plus we pass along a 2.9% credit card processing fee - the lowest in community-funded finance!

Familiar Payment Platform
People back your business using their existing Amazon.com account.

For More Info Visit Foodstart.com

Foodstart is the only crowdfunding site created just for restaurants- breweries- cafes- food trucks and other food business. Using Foodstart's unique platform business owners can raise capital in small increments from the same people who are the key to their success: their customers.

View the original article here

8 Things to Know About Putting Your Restaurant on Foursquare

While Facebook and Twitter are among the most popular social media sites, foursquare is one that's gaining a lot of notice. A mobile app enables users to check in to restaurants and look them up based on cuisine. Here are some tips for making it work for you:

1.) Keep It Short
As a mobile app, people are scrolling through hundreds of restaurant pages while they are on the move. No one wants to read a whole essay just to find out what type of food you serve. Keep your description short and sweet. When you first create your page, add brief but important details- any daily specials you have, hours of operation, phone numbers, etc.

2.) Upload Your Menu
Be sure to include your lunch and dinner menus if they're different.

3.) Post Pictures
Post high quality pictures of your restaurant and take pictures in the daylight so your restaurant is recognizable and easy to find. A hungry person scrolling through this app may be enticed by delicious-looking food so upload photos of your food as well.

4.) Offer Rewards
Foursquare offers 'Badges' to 'Mayors' who check into venues frequently. You can also sweeten the deal by offering additional rewards or special loyalty programs for Foursquare users.

5.) Add Additional Info about Your Restaurant
Add details on happy hour specials, buffet offerings, delivery options, valet parking, etc. Any information about your restaurant will help.

6.) Link it to Other Sites
Add links to your restaurant's home page, Face book page, Twitter page, Yelp.com - any other sites that make you look good. These help a curious Foursquare user determine if your food really is as good as advertised. Once they see the amount of likes on your Face book page and users posting good feedback, they'll feel reassured and more willing to try your place out.

7.) Update Your Page Regularly
If you have new and exciting specials, holiday promotions, or any other deals that you want your customers to find out about, keep your page updated.

8.) Online Ordering Options
Consider adding an option for online ordering for either pickup or delivery.

Raising Funds For Your Restaurant?

Foodstart helps restaurants, food trucks, breweries, cafes, and others in the food-and-beverage industry raise capital in small increments online.

The idea: create a network of people who want to see your business succeed and you will increase the chances that you actually will. It's the same reason the Green Bay Packers created 300,000 shareholders and the Obama campaigns raised money in five-dollar increments.

Here are some of the ways Foodstart can help you raise money for your business:

Pay Backers with Free Dessert, not Cash
With Foodstart you pay backers only in free perks and rewards that you determine in advance. Try getting Bank of America to do that!

Social-Media Marketing Program
Foodstart will provide online ads, campaign consultations, custom-designed fliers, custom Twitter and Facebook updates, and even will draft and distribute press releases - for free

Seed Match
Foodstart will seed your business with $1,000 - just raise at least $5k from at least 20 different people.

Physical Backer Cards
Foodstart will send every backer a card they can use to redeem rewards.

Low Fees
Foodstart charge just 4% plus we pass along a 2.9% credit card processing fee - the lowest in community-funded finance!

Familiar Payment Platform
People back your business using their existing Amazon.com account.

For More Info Visit Foodstart.com

Foodstart is the only crowdfunding site created just for restaurants- breweries- cafes- food trucks and other food business. Using Foodstart's unique platform business owners can raise capital in small increments from the same people who are the key to their success: their customers.

View the original article here