What kind of foods do Hindus eat every day?

Answer 1

Hindus can eat anything they like. The Dharma shastras nowhere state that Hindu should be vegetarian. Hindus should bear in mind the principles of "ahimsa" - non-injury to other living beings and then should eat accordingly.

Answer 2

There is a great diversity due to the influence of many cultures and differences in the geography and climate through the subcontinent.

Traditionaly Hindus are vegetarian, although many Hindus eat meat now. The cow is considered a sacred animal so Hindus will not eat beef. Spices are a vital part of food preparation and are used to enhance the flavor of a dish. A Muslim influence is also evident in the cooking of meats. Mughlai food, kababs, rich Kormas (curries) and nargisi koftas (meatballs), the biryani (a layered meat preparation), rogan josh, and preparations from the clay over or tandoor like tandoori rotis and tandoori chicken are all important contributions made by Muslim settlers in India.

South Indian Food is largely non-greasy, roasted and steamed. Rice is the staple diet and forms the basis of every meal. It is usually served with sambhar, rasam (a thin soup), dry and curried vegetables and a curd preparation called pachadi. Coconut is an important ingredient in all South Indian food. The South Indian dosa (rice pancakes), idli (steamed rice) and vada, which is made of fermented rice and dal, are now popular throughout the country. The popular dishes from Kerala are appams (a rice pancake) and thick stews. Desserts from the south include the Mysore pak and the creamy payasum.

A typical North-Indian meal would consist of chapatis or rotis (unleavened or paranthas (unleavened bread fried on a griddle), rice and an assortment of assessories like dals, friend vegetables, curries, curd, chutney, and pickles. For dessert one could choose from the wide array of sweetmeats from Bengal like rasagulla, sandesh, rasamalai and gulab-jamuns. North Indian desserts are very similar in taste as they are derived from a milk pudding or rice base and are usually soaked in syrup. Kheer is a form of rice pudding, shahi tukra or bread pudding and kulfi, a nutty ice cream are other common northern desserts.