Rajasthani

Tandoor heartland — butter chicken, dal makhani, naan. Ghee-rich, wheat-leaning, the most globally exported face of Indian food.

Royal Persian-Indian fusion — biryani, korma, kebabs slow-cooked over dum. Saffron, dried fruit, kewra.

Fish, mustard oil, panch phoron — sweet meets pungent. The dessert culture (rasgulla, mishti doi) is its own discipline.

Portuguese-Indian creole — vinegar, kokum, palm feni. Vindaloo, xacuti, sorpotel, bebinca.

Vegetarian by default — sweet-savory-sour braided into every plate. Dhokla, thepla, kadhi, undhiyu.

Mumbai street food's home — vada pav, misal pav, pav bhaji. Coastal Konkani heat meets Marathi snack culture.

Rice and fermented batter — dosa, idli, sambar, rasam. Coconut, curry leaves, mustard seeds, tamarind.

Mountain-Persian inheritance — rogan josh, yakhni, dum aloo, kashmiri pulao. Saffron, fennel, Kashmiri red chili.

Coconut, curry leaves, black pepper, coastal seafood — the Malabar spice-trade kitchen.

Sambar, rasam, idli, dosa — pulse-and-rice traditions of South India's heartland.

Nizami inheritance — kacchi biryani, mirchi-peanut salan, Persian-Telugu fusion in one stew.