What is the National Dish of India?

There has been a lot of controversy concerning the national dish of India. A majority of Indians consider Khichdi to be their national dish. However, there are other popular foods such as bhajiyas, jalebis, biryani, and golgappas that a considerable number of Indians identify with. The government of India has not declared what the national dish of the country is. India is one of the most diverse countries in the world. The languages, cultures, foods, and religions in the country are very diverse. Due to the diversity and complex cultural systems, the country’s cuisine is definitely diverse.

India Has No National Dish

Despite having popular foods such as Khichdi, rice, biryani, daal, roti, and bhajiya, there is no food that has been declared to be the official National Dish of India. A national dish should strongly be associated with the country. There is no particular food that is associated with Indians due to the diversity and variations in regions. Furthermore, the people of the country should agree that a particular dish is their national food. In India, in a poll conducted, people voted for different foods. This implies that people have not agreed on a particular dish. If one food is declared as the national dish, other regions that do not popularly eat that food will obviously be left out. Different Indians have different opinions concerning what national food should be. Despite being popular, Khichdi is more of a popular comfort food than the national dish of India.

Why Is It So Hard to Choose a National Dish? 

Indian’s cuisine has numerous dishes. The dishes vary according to culture, religion, and social class. Being among the most populous countries in the world, it would be difficult to declare a particular dish as the national dish. The country’s diversity has seen people of different regions and backgrounds prefer certain foods over the other. Despite having some foods that are eaten across the geographical boundaries of the country, there are some foods that are popular in certain geographical regions. For instance, regions bordering the sea have seafood as their staple foods, places in the mountainous regions have animals and fatty foods as their staple and spicy foods are popular in the equatorial region.

Khichdi

Khichdi is a food recognized by a large number of Indians. It is eaten by both rich and poor. People belonging to different socio-economic status enjoy the delicacy. The food is affordable and can be eaten during their prayer and fasting seasons. Better still, Khichdi can be eaten by patients of diabetes and lactose intolerance. Due to its popularity, Khichdi has been considered a symbol of national unity and diversity. With these values, the food’s popularity remains at the top of the most popular dishes in India. Biryani, which is also popular in India, has a Persian touch in it. It is therefore not originally Indian. In their religious festivals, Bengali offer Khichdi to goddess Durga. This shows how the food is religiously important to the people.