Indian Food Guide: Discover Regional Dishes, Street Eats, and Culinary Traditions

When you think of Indian food, a vibrant, regionally diverse culinary tradition shaped by climate, religion, and centuries of trade. Also known as Indian cuisine, it’s not just spices and curry—it’s a living culture on a plate. From the coconut-infused curries of Kerala to the buttery naans of Punjab, every state has its own story told through food. This isn’t about fancy restaurants or Instagrammable plating. It’s about the dhaba on the highway, the chai wallah at the train station, and the grandmother who makes roti just right.

Street food India, the heartbeat of everyday eating across the country. Also known as Indian street eats, it’s where you’ll find pani puri that bursts with tamarind water, vada pav that’s as much a Mumbai icon as the local trains, and jalebis fresh off the fryer at dawn. Then there’s regional Indian dishes, the deeply local specialties that define a place’s identity. Also known as state-specific Indian food, these are the dishes tourists miss because they stick to tourist menus—like assam’s fish curry with bamboo shoots, or Manipur’s fermented soybean dishes. And you can’t talk about Indian food without traditional Indian food, the meals tied to rituals, seasons, and family. Also known as home-cooked Indian meals, these are the ones passed down through generations—not in cookbooks, but in the quiet rhythm of morning khichdi or festival sweets made only once a year.

What you’ll find below isn’t a list of top 10 dishes. It’s real, practical insight from people who’ve eaten their way across India—whether they’re backpackers who survived a night in a roadside dhaba, families who found the best chaat in Varanasi, or travelers who learned to eat with their hands because no spoon was available. You’ll see which foods are safe to try, where to avoid the tourist traps, and what’s actually worth waiting in line for. No fluff. No generic advice. Just what works.