The History of Indian Food. Before you buy Indian food online you have to know where it all started. The history of Indian cuisine derives from a 4000 year old timeline, during which culture has changed, geographical boundaries have changed significantly leading to confusing terms such as sub-continental cuisine while other parts of a region want a separate culinary identity.

Indian cooking has however evolved significantly over time and the varying influences brought into the country by the various rulers and travelers, it has not lost its original identity, rather become richer with the assimilation of the myriad influences. So before you purchase Indian cuisine online, check out the history of Indian dishes and history of Indian food:

2000 BC and earlier: Most people believe that the origins of Indian history and therefore the cuisine are as old as mankind itself. This lays the foundation of the concept that everything we eat affects both our body and mind, therefore food should be pure, from nature, and balanced. The core balance consists of balancing the six tastes - Sweet. Sour, Salty, Pungent, Bitter, and Astringent. These tastes relate to the attributes of Essence and Effect.

1000 BC: At this point we see the first movement of outsiders into the country, this forms the origins of the Indus Valley Civilizations. The roots of Hinduism are shaped at this point, the Vedas or the religious texts are developed at this point as is the Mahabharatha. The caste system is developed at this point in time, dividing food habits of people broadly by caste, for example the Brahmins for the most part were vegetarians while the Khatriyas were non-vegetarian.

600 BC: We see the emergence of Buddhism and Jainism, the later has a marked influence on the cuisine in some parts of the countries. Jains were strong believers in non-violence, traditional Jain cuisine apart from being cooked without meat was also cooked without onion and garlic. They weren't quite ready to buy Indian food online however.

AD -1200: This period was the period of several North Indian dynasties, including the Gupta Dynasty which was noted for its love of the arts and there were several visiting travelers during this time. This was also known as the Golden Age of India Art. From a culinary perspective there are still no significant external influences brought into the country.

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1200-1500AD: This period is the period of Muslim Invasions and the first entry of several foreign invaders into the country. Vasco Da Gama arrived in India in 1498 to explore opportunities for trade which later resulted in colonization of parts of India by the Portuguese, the most notable example of this influence is seen in the cuisine of Goa, in Western India.

1500-1800 AD: This is the period of the Moghul empire and the emergence of the Moglai cuisine that people now associate with India. It includes the addition of several seasonings like saffron, the addition of nuts and cooking in the "Dum" or sealed pot method of cooking.

1800 - 1947 AD: This was the period of the British rule in India and the love affair of the English with Indian food. This generally was hardly a glorified period in Indian history, but the British loved the general elaborate way of eating and adapted several of the food choices to their taste and developed the "curry" as a simple spice to help them cook Indian spice. This period resulted in the emergence of the Anglo-Indian cuisine and the emergence of certain "Raj" traditions like that of "high-tea" an elaborate late afternoon meal served with tea.

1947 AD: This is the post-independence period which changed Indian cuisine to sub-continental cuisine since the Indian land mass was divided into several countries most notably Pakistan and Bangladesh, that inherited the following ancient history that has developed into today's culinary tradition. Fast-forward to today and now you are able to buy Indian food online.

So now that you know the history of Indian food, you can start the process to buy Indian food online.