One can find more than a hundred type of dishes, vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian, but more often than not one's choice will be restricted to the following types. Expect to find a chicken curry, a fish curry and a mutton curry at almost every place that serves non-vegetarian meals. A typical vegetarian restaurant will have: 

Aloo chole – spicy chana (chick peas) with potato. Aloo dum – a potato curry in spicy tomato puree Korma – a rich meat or vegetable dish, spiced in the Muslim tradition. Malai kofta – Cottage cheese and minced vegetable balls in a thick creamy sauce.

At the cost of Rs.50 and sometimes for even less than Rs.20, in places like Calcutta, one can buy oneself a thaali, which literally means ‘platter.’ A typical thaali consists of steamed rice, roti, dal, a few subzis or curries, pickle, yoghurt and a sweet. All combine to make a full Indian meal. Go and get the thaali experience because you might want to try it again for its functionality and fast service.

Kashmir has a rich tradition of meat dishes and surprisingly enough, even the Kashmiri Brahmin is an ardent meat-eater. Roganjosh, Yakhni and Gushtaba are Kashmiri meat specialities which are a 'must try' if one is anywhere in the north. Coastal India offers a variety of seafood. Try the Malabari fish curry and steamed rice. The Bengal region is famous for the Hilsa which is best had during the pre-monsoon in a Bangali household. While southern India is famous for its spicy curries, north Indian food has a distinct butter-cream flavour. South Indian food is mostly cooked in coconut or sesame oil, while mustard oil is the preferred medium in the north. Each,giving food a distinctly different flavour.

Finding continental food could be difficult in most parts of the country, though hamburgers and pizzas (an Indian variant) can be easily found in most big cities. McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos and Burger King have outlets in almost all big cities. Refer to the city maps for exact location. However, big restaurants and hotels do serve a la carte continental menu; at a much higher price. Chinese food is very popular in India, though with a very Indian flavour.

Seasonal fruits are found in plenty. There are pushcart vendors alongside roads selling bananas, apples, watermelons, mangoes, oranges and a host of other fruits. One could get a good bargain from these roadside vendors, which are guaranteed to be fresh. However, beware of the vendors who sell fruit that has already been cut and scliced. One will invariably find a swarm of flies feeding on the succulent fruit. Thus being under the risk of acquiring cholera or hepatitis.

There are probably more than one thousand varieties of sweetmeats, popularly termed mithai, in India. From the Bengali Rossogolla to the Payasam of the south, there is a whole range of desserts to choose from. There is a lot of history and culture associated with every type of sweet available in this country and each of them relates to a festival of that particular region. The basic ingredient is milk with combinations of fruits - dry and fresh, pulses, cereal and even vegetables, in some cases. Do not forget to taste the Halwa at Har-ki-pauri at Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges. The Sandesh of Bengal is a must and so is the Dharwad Peda. On festive occasions in the south, expect to be served Payasam or Pongal. Muslims serve Semia (sweet vermicelli) during their festivals. Kulfi (iced dessert), jalebis and burfis are to be tried out too.

Paan, or the beeda paan as it is known in the south, would often be the first chapter in any study of the Indian culinary culture. It is a must for almost any Indian, after a good meal. With regional variations, almost every one (except for some of today’s younger generation), is addicted to some combination of the betel leaf and areca nut. In Lucknow, a paan can be as expensive as Rs.200. It would be garnished with saffron, silver foil, exotic flavours, spices and condiments, all mixed in the right proportion. If regularly eaten, it could leave a vermilion stain on the edges of your teeth.

Contaminated food and food exposed to the elements are a major cause for diseases, in India. Be extremely careful of the food that you eat especially at the roadsides.
Watch out for food vendors who sell spoilt food with a lot of spice, which your palette may not be able to discern. 

Always carry your supply of antacids. They will come in use. Beware of fresh milk sold on the streets. It could be contaminated. One can buy fresh milk from any of the government milk booths in the cities.
Fresh fruit juice, especially of sugarcane, is to be avoided as they are the biggest carriers of the hepatitis virus.

Tea and coffee are the most popular of the non-alcoholic beverages consumed in the country. Tea is known as 'chai' and coffee is known as 'kaapi', in south India. Tea stalls are found in abundance all over the country. While the typical North Indian tea is rich in milk, a typical South Indian variety has an orange tint to it. 

Lassi is a summer cooler made of yogurt and rose essence. A full glass of lassi consumed with its cream topping is almost a meal by itself. Buttermilk, another product of yogurt is a natural cooler, very good in the summer months. It has a spiced and salted variety which is served with meals in the south. Sherbat is a sweet beverage served to guests in the summer. It varies between a simple, home-made lemonade to a rich drink of milk and crushed almonds, served chilled

Carry your own water purifier tablets. This will keep you safe from water-borne diseases. The local water supply is not free from germs. Plastic water bottles are available all over the country but India faces a major ecological challenge of recycling plastic waste, therefore refrain from buying these bottles. Carry your own bottle instead and your own purifying kit.

Coke, Pepsi, Sprite and all the other associated brands are available throughout the country. They are safe to consume.Do not patronise unauthorised soft drink vendors while travelling by train,some of their wares are spurious. The uniformed pantry attendant is the person to buy it from. A safe, tasty and nutritious soft drink could be the tender coconut water sold in almost all parts of the country.

There is much to be said about the quality of these brews. There are many indigenous brews available in the country. Goa is famous for its Cashew/Coconut Fenni while Kerala is known for Arrack. Toddy is the drink made from the extract of the date palm, which is an excellent drink, if had fresh.

Stands for Indian Made Foreign Liquor. The spirits that fall under this category are whiskey, rum, vodka, gin etc. Shops that sell them are known as ‘wine shops.’ In many states they are government owned. It is recommended that one purchases the expensive and well-known brands for a guarantee, in terms of taste and quality.

Most of the beer available is lager. However, there are a few brands which are pilsner. The popular names are Kingfisher, Golden Eagle, London Pilsner and Kalyani. 

Goa is famous for its Port Wine. It is perhaps the only popular brand of wine. One can purchase a bottle of Bosca at a liquor store. There is an Indian champagne by the name Marquis de Pompadour but comes with a very heavy price tag.

There is a world of foodstuff available on the footpaths and alleyways of India. There is the pushcart man in Chennai who sells steaming hot idlis (rice dumplings) served with spicy sambar and coconut chutney. There is another pushcart man in Calcutta selling skewered meat rolled in parathas. Another man in Mumbai, standing on the beach will be found selling chaat, puffed rice with sweet and sour chutney, diced tomatoes and onions, potatoes and yogurt. All of the above and many more can be bought for a song but be warned, they might sometime result in a tummy upset the next day. But if you are feeling adventurous, it is definitely worth a try.

In general the staple food is rice, though the roti or unleavened bread, is more popular in the central and northern regions. Variations of the roti can be found in Rajasthan where it is made of bajra, a locally grown coarse cereal grain. In the North, phulka is the term used to refer to the roti and a richer variation is the paratha. Biryani is a meal by itself, consisting of rice, meat and dried fruits. This is a product of the Lucknow or the Awadhi cuisine style. In the south Indian variant, known as the Hyderabad or Andhra style, there is a slight difference in taste. Roti is usually had with curry or sabzi, as it is more commonly known. Regular bread is known as pao, due to the belief that the kneading of the dough was once done using the knees. It is available in most places and is regular for breakfast,also eaten as a snack in between meals.