All About Indian Thali- Feast-on-a-Plate

This information is for all who want to know about Indian Thali & what is the traditional food of India as you all know India is a diverse country where people serve food for their guests and enjoy small moments with all happiness. There are many dishes and varieties of foods that every person loves to eat. In India, you find spirituality everywhere so it starts with community kitchens.

People of India have various traditional food items to serve and the main point is how they serve it on Thali. In ancient times people used banana leaves as a serving medium as it also reduced the workload of their family because it is usually for use and throw purpose. But as time went on there were discoveries of steel plate, silver plate, copper plate, and many more.

WHAT IS A THALI (AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM)?

Like many words in Indic languages, thali has more than one meaning; in its predominant usage, the Hindi word thali refers to the plate, generally made of steel, on which food is served. But thali also signifies a particular style and type of food served in restaurants. When you order thali, you’ll get a neatly, arranged plate (yes, that’s also called a thali) containing multiple bowls (known as katoris in Hindi) loaded with food.

Thali is a complete meal served on a single plate. Characterized by the eye-popping variety and an imposing quantity, thali easily contains 10 to 15 dishes (including rice and bread): Don’t even think of ordering thali unless you’ve brought your full appetite! Even though individual components of thali may be prepared in homes on a regular basis, the full experience is reserved in its full splendor for festivals, days of religious significance, or ceremonies and social functions. Generally, you’re more likely to find thali in a restaurant than someone’s home.

Though Thali has a wide variety in different states but most important is those traditional delicious foods which are served with Love and care. Many people love the Indian culture of serving food in Thali or you can say Plate. Indian people love to serve delicious foods for their guests. We have different spices available to make food spicier and also it is one of the most important parts of Indian Culture.

It is also said that thali has roots in Ayurveda (“Ayur” meaning life, “Veda” meaning knowledge), the ancient Indian holistic system of medicine. The Ayurvedic philosophy states that any disease is the result of an imbalance and that to correct this imbalance, the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—must be tended to, with food as one of the primary means.

• Types of Foods :

• Sweet: whole grains; dairy products; fruits like mangoes, peaches, apricots; vegetables like yams, winter squash, avocados; nuts like almonds, cashews, and pecans.
• Sour: yogurt; sour cream; buttermilk; all citrus fruits; tomatoes; miso; strawberries
• Salty: sea salt; Himalayan salt; seaweed; celery; tamari and soy sauce; olives; mustard
• Pungent: peppers; ginger; garlic; asafetida; wasabi; horseradish; cumin; cloves
• Bitter: coffee; chocolate; licorice, eggplant; rhubarb; sesame; bitter gourd
• Astringent: tea; turmeric; grapes; red wine; green bananas; basil; rosemary.

In India firstly people use banana leaves as a plate and serve food on those leaves after that human has invented many types of plates or we can say thali. Steel plates are usually used for household purposes.

Many people during any special occasion use silver plates for their guests and also many people use other types of plates for serving purposes. In a South Indian thali, on the other hand, rice is the central dish and no patron would notice the absence of wheat bread. Gujarati, Rajasthani, South Indian, and Punjabi thalis are the most popular.

Gujarati food manages to achieve a unique balance between heat, spice, and sweetness. Through the generous use of sugar in cooked vegetables, lentils and pickles are not appreciated by many, Many People admire how the Gujarati food has a forceful zing under the overt layer of sweetness.