1# Indian regional and community map
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 3**Punjabi / North Indian restaurant-adjacent**: wheat breads, dairy, ghee, dals, tandoor, paneer, rich gravies, kasuri methi, garam masala, yogurt marinades. This is what many Westerners think of as "Indian food," but it is only one slice.
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 5**Mughlai / Awadhi / Hyderabadi threads**: rice, meat, nuts, dairy, saffron, aromatic spices, kebabs, biryani, korma, dum cooking. Richness and fragrance matter more than raw heat.
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 7**South India**: huge variation. Tamil, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra/Telangana, Chettinad, and Hyderabadi cooking diverge. Rice, lentils, coconut, tamarind, curry leaves, mustard seed, dosa/idli batters, sambar/rasam, seafood, meat, and serious chile heat can all appear depending on place.
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 9**Bengal and the east**: mustard oil, fish, rice, panch phoron, poppy seed, mustard, greens, sweets, and a sweet/bitter/sour logic that doesn't map neatly onto north Indian restaurant food.
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11**Gujarat / Rajasthan / western India**: vegetarian and Jain-influenced cooking in many communities, farsan/snacks, dals, kadhi, millet, gram flour, pickles, dried ingredients, sweet-sour balances, desert adaptation, and royal/meat traditions in other communities.
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13**Goa / Konkan / coastal west**: coconut, kokum, tamarind, seafood, rice, vinegar, pork in Catholic Goan cooking, xacuti, vindaloo, recheado, and Portuguese influence.
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15**Kashmir / Himalayan / Northeast**: do not skip these. Kashmir has wazwan, yogurt, fennel/ginger, dried spices, rice, and meat traditions. The Northeast includes rice, pork/beef/fish in many communities, bamboo shoots, fermented foods, smoked meats, lower-spice profiles, and strong local variation.
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17**Parsi, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Adivasi/tribal, diaspora**: community matters as much as region. Ask before assuming onion/garlic, meat, dairy, alcohol, or even the meal structure.
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19## Historical layers
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21Chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, and cashews arrived after the Columbian exchange/Portuguese contact, then became deeply Indian. Tandoor and kebab cultures have Persian/Central Asian connections. Anglo-Indian curry powder and diaspora curries are real traditions, not accurate shortcuts for every Indian dish.