Indian food presents a range of flavors, intense and subtle, as vast as the country itself.
Regional influences range from climate and elevation to history and religion.
In addition to the pronounced use of spices, common culinary threads unifying local cuisines include the prominence of flatbreads and a far greater use of dairy products than anywhere else in Asia. Breads are made with wheat, rice and ground legumes depending on the part of the country while dairy products include milk, cream, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream and cheese. Beyond that, the differences take over. Northern Indians tend to use their spices ground while Southerners start out with them whole and grind them to a paste with cooked onions and other ingredients. Cooks of the tropical South make heavy use of coconut milk, an ingredient rarely seen in the North.