Essay on Indian and Canadian Food

Foods may be similar but how its prepared and served varies from country to country. Indian food has often been described as the best cross the world due to a range of benefits it has on a person’s health and body. According to Nayga (1997), the most important aspect of any food is its nutritional capability. Foods that are rich with important nutrients are often on a high demand. Proper nutrition is essential in ensuring that a person lives healthily. Indian food, in general, is full of nutrients and important minerals that are important to the human body (Zameer, & Mukherjee, 2011). The high range of spices used to cook or prepare Indian food have different benefits to the human boy. Some of them have important medicinal advantages to the body like killing of cancerous cells and strong muscle formation.

The use of spices in Indian cuisines also makes food sweet, tasty and with a nice flavor. Indian food is known to be fresh from farms where natural ways of cultivation are applied. The most distinctive characteristic of their cuisine is the non-vegetarian nature of most of their meals. Majority of Canadians are non-vegetarian and this often results in people eating different kinds of meat to meet their dietary satisfactions. There are distinctive similarities and differences between Brahmans Indian cuisine and rural Canadian cuisines. Canadian cuisines have often been described as unhealthy due to the large volume of meat and related products they contain. Overconsumption of meals with meat or related products has been known to cause obesity and other unhealthy body conditions.

Examples of foods in this category include candy made with maples syrup instead of molasses and sushi made with salmon instead of tuna. Eccles (2002), has sought to define Canadian food by reflecting on the different seasons in the country and collecting foods that are locally produced and do well in the Canadian climate and combining them with those of good tastes and health benefits. Foods such as Metis stew, bison, maple taffy, and pemmican have been said to have originated from Canada and are spread widely across the country (Csizmadi et al. In general, Canadian cuisine has its roots in the native North American culture, the Aboriginal people, European and Asian cultures. Accorrding to Basu et al. The Brahmans is a community of Hindu priests that are tasked with upholding religious customs, policies and beliefs (Fuller, & Narasimhan, 2008).

This group of people mostly consume vegetarian food, something that is a custom among majority of Indians. The Brahmans believe that animals have a right to live just like humans. A sect of the Brahmans people believe that a cow is a holy creature and should not be slaughtered. Slaughtering of cows in certain parts of India has been banned to help people preserve their religious purity and customs. Rural Canadian food also attributes most of its identity to other cultures. The Aboriginal and the French, for example, helped introduce new foods to the Canadian in the 19th century. The fur trade resulted in new foods being added to the Canadian culture (Eccles, 2002). The two cuisines have also been influenced by the Scottish cuisine.

Chicken Tikka Masala, a popular dish in India and Canada, originated from Scotland. The eating of beef, for example, is considered a taboo due to religious beliefs. Indian food is mostly characterized as vegetarian. Majority of people in the country do not take meat (Yajnik et al. In certain sects of the Brahmans, eating of potatoes, cassavas and other foods that originate from roots is not allowed. Many believe that eating of these crops amounts to killing other organisms that depend on them for shelter or food (Yajnik et al. Moreover, Indian food has been described as the healthiest due different reasons. Firstly, it includes a dazzling array of vegetables that are usually cooked in a multitude of ways by use of spices that are rich in nutrients.

The use of specific spices and specific cooking methods help retain the freshness and nutrients contained in the foods. Cooking methods employed by Canadians are unnatural in nature and often kills important nutrients in food. Spices such as garlic, turmeric and chilies are common in Indian food. Future research can focus on the stronger elements of better cuisines like the Indian to determine the best combination of foods that will be beneficial to the Canadian people Conclusion Brahmans Indian food has its roots in the spice trade where Europeans brought a range of foods to India. The foods brought to India are widely used due to the unique tastes and flavors they have. Use of spices gives Brahmans Indian food a unique identity from the rest of the world’s cuisines.

This also makes Indian food the healthiest in the world. Indian food is known to have six distinct flavors. , & Acharya, S. N. Prospects for growth in global nutraceutical and functional food markets: a Canadian perspective.  Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 1(4), 637-649. Casale, G. & Subar, A. F. Adaptation and evaluation of the National Cancer Institute's Diet History Questionnaire and nutrient database for Canadian populations.  Public health nutrition, 10(1), 88-96. Eccles, W. Traditional Indian spices and their health significance.  Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 17, 265-268. Nandy, A. The changing popular culture of Indian food: Preliminary notes.  South Asia Research, 24(1), 9-19. Food safety and quality systems in Canada: An exploratory study.  International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 21(6), 655-671. Yajnik, C. , Deshpande, S.