New to the Neighbourhood Trivia Quiz

Answer: West Bengal

During the partition of India in 1947, the state of Bengal was divided into parts on religious lines with the western half belonging to India and the eastern part to Pakistan. Thus, despite lying on the east coast of India, the state is known as West Bengal. East Bengal later came to be known as East Pakistan before eventually becoming the independent country of Bangladesh.

Fish is very prominent in Bengali cuisine with river or freshwater fish being preferred over the salt water variety. In earlier times, most Bengali homes had fish ponds and cultivated their own fish. The hilsa, a type of herring, is one of the most popular types with Bangladesh even according it the status of the country's national fish. Doi maach is fish cooked in a yoghurt based gravy while chingri macher malai curry consists of prawns cooked in coconut. Aloo posto is a vegetarian dish of potato cooked with poppy seeds. Bengal is also famous for its desserts which are prepared using sweetened cottage cheese called chenna.

Answer: Winter

Undhiyu is traditionally cooked in earthen pots called 'matkis' or 'matlus'. The pot is buried upside down underground and heated from above. The dish consists of seasonal vegetables that are grown during winter. Some of the ingredients used in this preparation are broad beans, yams, unripe bananas, potatoes and plantains.

A thali is a stainless plate. Small steel bowls are also provided for the various gravies, vegetables, dal and buttermilk.

Gujarat, a state on the western coast of India, is one of the only largely vegetarian states in India. Meat is eaten only by the non Hindus, mainly Muslims and Parsis here. In most other parts of India, except for Brahmins (this also varies from place to place), Hindus belonging to other castes are known to eat meat or fish.

Answer: The Muslim month of Ramadan

Originally an Arabic dish introduced by Arab traders, the Hyderabadi version has evolved into a unique preparation based on the use of local spices. It consists of meat (typically goat meat, though chicken and beef are also used) along with pounded wheat and lentils. The paste is then slowly cooked for up to twelve hours with regular stirring. The dish is high in calories and is hence commonly served at iftaar meals, the evening meal eaten by Muslims after breaking their fast during the month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.

Other notable dishes of Hyderabadi cuisine are the Hyderabadi variant of biryani, kheema (minced meat) and maghaz masala (deep fried goat brain).

Answer: Banana leaf

Sadya translates to banquet in the Malayalam language. Served on a banana leaf, the meal consists of numerous vegetable dishes along with rice. It is eaten sitting cross-legged on mats laid out on the floor and no cutlery is used. Dishes included are sambar (a lentil based vegetable stew), rasam (a spicy tamarind based soup), kaalan (gravy prepared with yoghurt, coconut, plantain and yam), avial (mixed vegetables) and olan (white gourd cooked in coconut milk). Papadum, buttermilk, pachadi (a type of pickle) and banana chips are served as accompaniments.

If you crave meat instead, there are numerous options in chicken and mutton including a regional variety of biryani also known as the Malabar biryani. With the state located along the southern coast of India, fish is also available in plenty.

Answer: Parsi

Parsis are descendants of the Persian Zoroastrians who fled to India during the 10th century to avoid religious persecution by the Muslim invaders of Persia. Having initially made their home along the western coast of India, significant populations are found in Mumbai and various cities of Gujarat.

Patra ni machchi, one of my favourite dishes, consists of fish steamed in a banana leaf along with a thick green chutney. Other well known dishes are chicken farcha (fried chicken), sali boti (boneless mutton served with thin fried potato sticks called sali), akuri (scrambled eggs) and dhansak (mutton or chicken cooked along with lentils).

Answer: False

While the cuisine of the Marwari people of Rajasthan, belonging to the former princely kingdom of Marwar, is strictly vegetarian, meat dishes are commonly found in the cuisine of the Rajputs, the warrior class of the state. The ingredients used in Rajasthani cuisine of both types differ slightly from the rest of the country since the state is largely covered by the Thar desert and the food reflects this. The range of vegetables is limited and dishes are also cooked in buttermilk, milk and curd to restrict water usage.

A famous delicacy of the region is dal batti choorma which consists of small, round balls of flour that are deep fried in ghee (clarified butter) and then eaten by crushing them in a lentil stew. Another regional speciality is a dish consisting of nuggets of gram flour cooked in a gravy and called gatte ki sabzi. Among the meat dishes, the most famous is laal maans which literally means red meat. Traditionally prepared using game meat, it is now made with mutton. The fiery red colour of the gravy is due to the heavy use of red chillies.

Answer: Goa

Goan Christian cuisine is heavily inspired by the Portuguese who colonized the region for almost four hundred years. Lying on the western coast of India, fish is a staple for most Goans though pork and chicken also figure prominently among the Catholic population. Chourico, a spicy pork sausage, can be eaten by itself or along with rice pulao. Sorpotel, a vinegar based pork dish, tastes best when eaten with sannas - steamed rice bread which is slightly sweet. Fish gravies are typically described as ambot tik which combine both sour and spicy flavours.

The meal can be washed down with a glass or two of feni - home brewed alcohol made from cashews.

Answer: Tandoor

Traditionally large clay ovens called tandoors were kept in the courtyard of houses and used for preparing breads known as naan. Tandoori chicken - roasted chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices is also cooked in this oven. Chicken tikka consists of cubes of chicken baked on skewers in a tandoor.

Given the large quantities of wheat grown in Punjab, breads are typically made of this grain. The dal favoured here is prepared using whole black lentils and red kidney beans lending it a dark colour unlike the other regions in India where other types of lentils are used to make a light yellow coloured stew. A popular winter delicacy is sarson ka saag (gravy prepared from green mustard leaves) that is eaten with makki di roti (bread made out of corn flour).

A kadai is a type of Indian wok traditionally made of cast iron. The term handi can be used to describe any deep, wide mouthed utensil and can be used to prepare a variety of dishes including gravies, rice, biryani etc. A frying pan is called tava.

Answer: Assam

Assam is the largest state located in the north east of India. Given the relative isolation of the north eastern states from the rest of mainland India, the food and flavours tend to be distinctly different from that of the rest of India and are more heavily influenced by the oriental style of cooking. Exotic dishes include Eri polu (pupa of Eri silk worm), fermented bamboo shoots and preparations of a green leafy vegetable called xaak. Rice is a staple food and can be eaten for all three meals. Rice beers are also popular with each ethnic group having their own distinct recipes.

Answer: Muslims

A traditional wazwan can have up to 36 courses and it is prepared by a head chef known as a vasta waza assisted by various other chefs called wazas. The dishes are largely meat based with mutton and chicken being favoured. The meal begins with the ritual washing of hands after which a platter heaped with rice and accompanied by various types of meat kebabs is served.

Some of the dishes that form part of this meal are rogan josh (lamb cooked in traditional Kashmiri spices), aab ghosh (lamb cooked in a milk based curry), gushtaba (meatballs cooked in a white yoghurt based gravy), tabak maaz (fried lamb ribs) and waza kokur (chicken cooked whole). Yoghurt and chutney are served as accompaniments while phirni, a milk pudding containing semolina is served for dessert. Kahwah, a green tea prepared using saffron, spices and nuts is also served during meals.