India's Regional Food Adjustments: A Student's Guide.

Food is not just fuel; it’s information. It provides us with insights into the cultures, histories, and lives of the people who create it.”

— Allan Balliett

Crossing Culinary Borders

India is a country that is well-known for its rich diversity. From Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, and Kutch in the west to Kolkata in the east, there is a vast array of cultural, linguistic, and culinary differences. Though these differences are what give the country its beauty, they are also the very same differences that turn into difficulties when moving from one region to another, especially for students who study far from home.

    For students who leave their home region to study in a different part of the country, adapting to new cuisines is often one of the major, yet less talked about, challenges they face. This process of adapting to a whole different food culture can often at times be tough. Whether it is a South Indian student missing the comfort of Dosa and Sambar in the north or a North Indian student trying to adjust to the tangier, spicier flavours of the south.

Culinary Landscape of India

India’s culinary landscape is as diverse as its geography, with each state or region offering its distinct taste, ingredients, and styles of cooking. The kind of food available in an area is deeply influenced by the climate, availability of ingredients, and cultural history.

In the north, the dishes are hearty and rich, with wheat as the staple. Common foods include a variety of rotis (Indian flatbread), parathas, and naan served with thick flavourful curries such as butter chicken or paneer masala. Also, north Indian dishes often incorporate dairy products such as ghee, yoghurt, and paneer and are flavoured with spices like garam masala, cumin, and coriander. The use of tandoors (clay ovens) is also immensely popular, giving a dish a smoky, unique taste.

In contrast, South India offers a completely different palette of cuisines, with rice being the primary staple. The food is tangier and spicier and is known for the incorporation of coconut, tamarind, peppercorns, and chillies. Breakfasts of dosa, idli, and sambar are common, while meals often include rice-based dishes such as biryani and curd rice. South Indian cuisines often emphasise chutneys and pickles, adding a sharp contrast of flavours to the dishes.

Moving to the West, the food reflects the cultural diversity of Western India, influenced by tribal, merchant, and colonial traditions. Each state or region that forms Western India offers a unique palette of dishes of its own. Gujarati food is largely vegetarian, blending sweet and savoury flavours with staples such as khichdi, dal, and kadhi, often accompanied by pickles and buttermilk. Coming down to Goa and the coastal regions of Maharashtra, the cuisines are heavily shaped by the Portuguese colonial and Hindu influences, where rice and seafood dominate, with dishes like kingfish and pomfret dominating. Meanwhile, in the inland regions of Maharashtra, millet, jowar, and groundnuts are staples and are used in dishes like vada pav and pav bhaji.

Coming to the eastern side of India, is known for its temple cuisine and coastal dishes, with a focus on steaming, smoking, stir-frying, and fermenting techniques. The region’s cuisine includes staples like aloo bhatey or aloo chokha (mashed potatoes), which is paired with dishes such as panta bhaat (fermented rice) and litti (sattu-filled dough). Pithas (rice pancakes) are also a popular delicacy, and Eastern India is famed for its chenna-based sweets like rosogolla, which have earned a special place in Indian dessert culture.

Comprising of seven states, known as seven sisters, along with the inclusion of Sikkim, Northeast India is well-known for its tribal roots, use of fermented food, and a variety of non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. Fermented pickles and ingredients such as Akhuni (fermented soybean) are central to the flavours of the region. Some of the popular dishes include momos (steamed dumplings), thukpa (noodle soup), and jadoh (a pork dish from Meghalaya). The cuisine of the region makes use of a variety of ingredients, such as bamboo shoots and fermented fish, making it one of the most unique and healthy culinary traditions in the country.

Struggles of the Students

One of the primary challenges of students moving across regions is adjusting to the differences in staple ingredients and taste profiles. When it comes to North Indian cuisine, wheat is the dominant grain, and hence many meals are wheat-based dishes such as rotis, parathas, and naan, and are often served with rich, creamy curries. In the case of south Indian cuisine, the dishes are mostly rice-based, as rice is the staple there, and are served with curries that bring a tangier and spicier flavour to the dishes. A student who grew up eating rice for almost every meal might find the transition to a wheat-based diet difficult, while those used to milder northern flavours may struggle with the spicier southern palette.

Even familiar dishes can taste different because of the way they are prepared in different regions. For example, a Biriyani in Kerala is vastly different from a Biriyani in Lucknow or Hyderabad, both in terms of spices and preparation methods. This subtle yet noticeable shift makes finding comfort in familiar foods even more challenging.

Another hurdle students must overcome is the lack of availability of familiar foods in hostels or university canteens. South Indian students in northern regions, for example, often miss breakfast staples like dosa, idli, or sambar, which are rarely available outside speciality restaurants. Similarly, North Indian students studying in the south might long for the thick gravies, stuffed parathas, or chhole bhature that are part of their daily meals back home but are seldom found in local canteens. This lack of familiar food can force students to either search for speciality restaurants or adapt to local meals, both of which can be frustrating on a student's budget.

The food we eat is deeply tied to our culture and emotions; when students cannot find or recreate the dishes they grew up with, it can deepen their feelings of homesickness. In my case, moving to northern India and being unable to find dishes like Malabar biriyani, dosa, or sambar made me feel like I had left a piece of home behind.

For many, the absence of familiar flavours can create a sense of isolation, amplifying their homesickness. There is a feeling of comfort in sitting down to a meal that reminds you of your family, and without that, students often feel as though they are missing an essential part of their identity.

Beyond the feelings of homesickness and isolation, students also face practical challenges in adjusting to new food cultures, particularly when dietary preferences come into play. For instance, a vegetarian student moving to a region where non-vegetarian dishes are predominant, or vice versa, may struggle to find meals that align with their diet. Similarly, students with specific dietary restrictions—such as those who avoid certain oils, meats, or spices—might find themselves at odds with local cooking styles, which can limit their options even further.

Adaptation Strategies

    Adjusting to a new food culture might be difficult, but it is not entirely impossible. There are ways to deal with differences in food. One of them is to learn about local marketplaces and ingredients. When familiar meals are out of reach, students must often get creative with what they have. For example, while I missed South Indian meals like dosa and sambar, I quickly learnt to cope with them by finding alternatives in local markets. Sometimes experimenting with available spices or vegetables allowed me to recreate dishes that had the familiar feel of home, if not the same taste.

Many students bond with their peers from regions with similar food cultures by preparing and sharing meals that remind them of their homes. In my hostel, one weekend, a handful of us from South India began compiling our resources to cook together on weekends to recreate the meals we all missed. It was not always perfect, but it offered us a sense of belonging, and the process of cooking together often helped ease the cultural differences.

    There is another strategy that you can use if you have enough patience, which is to develop a taste for the local cuisines over time. Oftentimes, students, who are seen initially struggling with new flavours, eventually embrace the regional recipes. Though I was not a huge fan of roti and paneer dishes at first, over time I began to appreciate them more. Likewise, many of my North Indian friends who struggled with idli or sambar started to find comfort in these foods as they became part of their daily routine.

Students can also adapt by combining cuisines from different regions. To appeal to different student populations, several hostels and canteens now serve fusion meals that include dishes from many parts of the country. This allows students to experience familiar sensations while simultaneously widening their palates.

Finally, these adaptation strategies are about more than just surviving on a new diet; they are about accepting change and developing a feeling of belonging when living away from home.

Taste of Conclusion

Coping with the food challenges of India as a student is a task that is difficult yet simple if we adopt certain strategies that require some level of flexibility, creativity, and effort. Food is a major part of the student experience away from home, be it trying to adjust to new recipes, ingredients, and flavours or finding ways to recreate familiar dishes. Even though this is a difficult challenge, it offers a chance for the students to explore new cuisines and embrace the culinary diversity of India. Students not only adjust but often develop a deeper connection to their new surroundings by sharing food with peers from different regions, experimenting in the kitchen, and seeking out local alternatives. In the end, these experiences transform them, making them more adaptable, open-minded, and open-hearted to the different flavours of the country.

Feel free to give this post a like and share your thoughts on the issue. Are there any other ways students can adapt to regional food differences? Let us know in the comments!