A Little Balti Cookbook [antikvár]

Introduction "Namaste", which means "hello", "goodbye", or even "how are you?" denotes gentle respect. The folded hands indicate the grace and welcome to be encountered all over India. The mystery and beauty of India is 5000 years old; land peopled by a hundred races, speaking a hundred tongues. Give each its due cultural and religious influences and let the centuries roll on to provide a rich profusion of eating habits, each a little different, each just a little more exotic than the other. The unforgettable aroma of India is not just the heavy scent of jasmine and roses. It is also the fragrance of the spices that are so important to Indian cooking. Although the word "curry" is an English derivative of kari (which means spice sauce), today, with Indians widely spread in western countries, some good commercial curry powders and pastes are available on the market. These are usually blends of spices such as turmeric, cardamom, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon and many more. Indian Bawarchis (master chefs), however, using their own individual spice mixes, create dishes as artists use a palette of colours. No other country can provide such a diverse spectrum of foods or promise a gastronomic adventure quite like India. Baltistan is a region situated in the northern-most part of Pakistan. Its cuisine has become popular in western countries, and baiti restaurants now abound. Baltistanis are Muslims, and a hardy mountain people. Their dishes are generally cooked in a baIti, a cast-iron pot with two handles whose hemispherical shape evolved from the Chinese wok. Any cooking technique can be used and the food has a unique quality.