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5 min
09/01/2026
Indian cuisine has always been a hearty medley of flavours and textures. And while the crown for the most popular Indian dish is always up for discussion, a few favourites always make it to the list of favourites. These dishes, from dosas and idlis to butter chicken and biryani, are not just popular across the nation but also intricately linked to India’s history. Discover more.
From fragrant biryani with succulent meat pieces to crispy, crunchy samosas, spicy vindaloos, and OG fast food, like vasa pao, Indian cuisine is the poster child for varied flavours. And the reason Indian cuisine is a blend of varied flavours, cooking techniques, and spice mixes is simple — adaptability. From traders and invaders to immigrants and refugees, everyone who came to India left a mark on its food scene. Today, these dishes are a symbol of national unity through their pan-Indian presence, adaptability, and ability to blend diverse regional influences into a single, beloved dish. So grab your munchies, the OG kind, and learn about the 8 iconic dishes linked to India’s history.
From ancient Sanskrit texts (mentioned in Charaka Samhita, around 300 BC) to regional variations (Bengali bhog khichuri, Gujarati vaghareli khichdi, Tamil Nadu's ven pongal, Karnataka's bisi bele bath, Hyderabadi keeme ki khichdi), khichdi is truly India’s most enduring comfort food. A simple rice-and-lentil dish, khichdi, is even mentioned in the records of early foreign travellers such as Ibn Battuta and the Greek king Seleucus. Today, it’s offered as a prasad, prepared with millets for healthier swaps, and cooked with ghee and love for when you miss home.
Both idli and dosa are a testament to India’s, specifically Southern India’s, practice of fermentation. Reports suggest that a thin, fermented rice-and-black-gram crepe was even mentioned in the 1st-century A.D. Sangam literature. Dosa, a thin crepe-like dish, also found a mention in TasteAtlas’ list of the oldest foods in the world. Soft, round idlis are prepared with a fermented batter but steamed, making them a healthier alternative to most fried, greasy breakfast items. Both dosa and idli are traditionally served with sambar (a tangy, slightly watery vegetable stew) and chutneys.
If you haven’t enjoyed a crispy, aloo-filled, crunchy, deep-fried samosa off a street corner, then you’ve definitely missed out on one of life’s greatest joys. And while it may have become India’s unofficial street food champion, it didn’t originate here. It travelled along trade routes and is a close cousin of the Arabic sambusak and the Afghan sambosa. Even potatoes, the most common filling for samosa, were brought to India by the Portuguese traders in the early 17th century. And yet, the two came together to create a street food for the ages.
Originating in Goa, the fiery Vindaloo was inspired by the Portuguese dish carne de vinha d'alhos (meat marinated in wine and garlic). Local ingredients like tamarind and regional chillies were incorporated, transforming it into the distinctly spicy Indian curry known today. Not just vindaloo: many Goan dishes, including the traditional Bebinca (a layered dessert), are actually Portuguese-inspired. But few have achieved as widespread fame as the vindaloo.
Talking about widespread fame and adaptations means talking about biryani. Brought to the Indian subcontinent by Persian travellers and refined in the royal kitchens of the Mughal Empire, the dish was known for its signature dum-phukt cooking technique. It involved slow-cooking rice and marinated meat in a sealed pot. Once a symbol of royal cooking, the dish soon spread to common households. Today, it has evolved into numerous regional variations using local spices and ingredients, such as the Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Kolkata (known for its signature potato), and Malabar biryanis.
Vada pao traces its origins to recent Indian history, developed in response to the rapid development of the mill era. A need for quick, affordable meals that could sustain mill workers for long gave birth to the vada pao, arguably India’s OG burger. Along with vada pao, pao bhaji and even misal pao came to be quick-fix, sustaining meals. Today, these meals are not restricted to a group or need, but rather a fun food for one and all.
A classic, spiralled sweet, jalebi is practically a "sagaa sibling" to Persian and Middle Eastern zoolbias (zalabiyas). Both are deep-fried spirals soaked in sugar syrup, travelling along the historic Silk Route during the 15th century to become an iconic dessert across India. Originally, the size of jalebis was enormous, and meant for special occasions like weddings. Today, it’s smaller, crispier, and enjoyed as is, with sweet accompaniments like rabri, or savoury pairs, like poha.
Rich, slow-cooked meat curries are Mughal cuisine’s gift to Indian kitchens. And among the dishes that stood the test of time and continue to be enjoyed with just as much fervour, if not more, is nihari (or Nalli Nihari). Believed to have originated in the 18th century in Old Delhi, nihari—derived from the Arabic word nahar, meaning "morning"—was traditionally cooked overnight and eaten at dawn. While it was enjoyed by the Mughal nobility, the dish was equally popular among royal guards, labourers, and workers finishing night shifts, prized for its richness and the stamina-giving warmth it provided before the day’s work began. Nihari, even today, focuses on marrow-rich, intense, slow-cooked depth and is consumed early in the morning in the narrow lanes of Old Delhi.
The dishes above are just some of the iconic treats that have time after time made it to our plates and satisfied our palates. They’ve been reinvented with different flavourings, techniques, and even ingredients. From low-cal versions to fusion recipes, the dishes may don multiple new avatars, but can never disappear from India’s favourite food list.
