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Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh facts for kids

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The food from Uttar Pradesh (UP) in Northern India is super diverse! UP is a big state, so its food shares many tasty dishes with nearby places like Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Haryana. You'll find lots of different foods, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Some famous food styles from UP include Mughlai, Awadhi, and Bhojpuri food.

Breads from Uttar Pradesh

Since wheat is a main food in Uttar Pradesh, breads are very important. Most breads are flat, like rotis, but some are fluffy. They can be made from different types of flour and cooked in many ways.

Some popular breads include:

  • Tandoori naan: A soft bread baked in a special clay oven called a tandoor.
  • Tandoori roti: Another flatbread cooked in a tandoor.
  • Kulcha: A type of leavened bread.
  • Taftan: A rich, leavened bread often flavored with saffron.
  • Sheermal: A sweet, saffron-flavored flatbread.
  • Rumali roti: A very thin, soft bread, almost like a handkerchief.
  • Puri: A deep-fried, puffy bread.
  • Paratha: A flaky, layered flatbread.
  • Sogara: A flatbread made from millet flour.

Popular Dishes of UP

A thali with daal roti bhindi ki sabzi and mango pickle
A typical meal from UP, with sabji (vegetable dish), daal (lentils), rotis, and mango pickle.
Kachori Sabji
Kachori sabji is a popular breakfast in Uttar Pradesh.
Shahi Paneer & Butter Naan
Shahi Paneer (royal cheese dish) with bread.

Uttar Pradesh has many delicious dishes. Here are some of the most common ones:

  • Biryani: A flavorful rice dish cooked with meat or vegetables and spices.
  • Chaat: A variety of savory snacks, often tangy and spicy, that started in Uttar Pradesh.
  • Chole Bhature: A dish with spicy chickpea curry (chole) served with deep-fried bread (bhature).
  • Daal Makhani: A creamy lentil dish, often made with butter.
  • Dum Bhindi: Whole okra pods stuffed with spiced potato filling and fried.
  • Fara: A unique dish made from steamed rice bread wrapped around a spiced lentil filling.
  • Kachori: A fried, savory pastry, often filled with lentils or potatoes.
  • Kadhi Pakoda: A tangy yogurt-based curry with fried fritters (pakodas).
  • Kakori Kabab: A very soft and tender kebab, similar to Seekh Kabab.
  • Korma: A rich, creamy curry, often made with meat.
  • Nimona (food): A curry made from green peas and potatoes, especially popular in winter.
  • Palak Paneer: A dish with paneer (Indian cheese) in a creamy spinach gravy.
  • Pasanda Kabab: Tender pieces of boneless mutton, often skewered.
  • Samosa: A popular fried pastry with a savory filling, usually spiced potatoes and peas.
  • Shami Kabab: A patty-shaped kebab, often made with minced meat and lentils.
  • Tehri: A vegetarian rice dish with spices and mixed vegetables, popular among Hindus.

Sweet Treats (Desserts)

JalebiIndia
Imarti, a sweet made from lentil dough.
Pera - Sweet - Banke Bihari Mandir Area - Vrindavan - 2013-02-22 4785
Pedas from Mathura Vrindavan.
Kaju katli dessert - side view
Kaju Katli, a sweet made from cashew nuts.

Uttar Pradesh is also famous for its many delicious desserts and sweets.

  • Balushahi: A flaky, fried pastry dipped in sugar syrup.
  • Barfi: A milk-based sweet, often flavored with nuts or fruits.
  • Gajar ka Halwa: A sweet pudding made from grated carrots, milk, and sugar.
  • Gulab Jamun: Soft, deep-fried milk solids soaked in a sweet syrup.
  • Imarti: A sweet made from lentil dough, shaped like a flower and soaked in syrup.
  • Jalebi: A crispy, spiral-shaped sweet, deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup.
  • Kaju Katli: A diamond-shaped sweet made from cashew nuts.
  • Kheer: A creamy rice pudding, often flavored with cardamom and nuts.
  • Kulfi: A traditional Indian frozen dessert, similar to ice cream.
  • Laddu: Round, ball-shaped sweets made from flour, sugar, and fat.
  • Peda: A soft, milk-based sweet, often flavored with cardamom.
  • Petha: A translucent soft candy made from ash gourd, especially famous in Agra.
  • Rabadi: A sweet, thick milk dessert, often layered.
  • Ras Malai: Soft cheese dumplings soaked in sweetened, flavored milk.

Refreshing Drinks

Bhang-and-Thandai
A stall selling Thandai, a popular milk-based cold drink from UP.

To go with all the delicious food, Uttar Pradesh has some refreshing drinks:

  • Sharbats: These are sweet, flavored drinks. Some popular types include:

* Bel ka Sharbat: Made from the fruit of the aegle marmelos tree. * Rose Sharbat: A refreshing drink flavored with rose petals.

  • Chhaas: A savory yogurt drink, similar to buttermilk.
  • Lassi: A popular yogurt-based drink, which can be sweet or salty.
  • Thandai: A cool, milk-based drink often flavored with nuts and spices, especially popular during festivals.

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