Even four millennia ago, inhabitants of the north’s fertile Indus Valley enjoyed ingredients that characterize the cooking of the region now: cereals and basmati rice, pulses, dairy, spices like mustard and fenugreek. Across the fields of Uttar Pradesh and eastern Rajasthan, northward through the Punjab, and up into mountainous Kashmir, ancient cooking techniques survive, too. Here, see the vibrant scenes of north India as captured by SAVEUR photographers. For more stories, recipes, and travel tips, see the full India Issue »
The women of the Singh family in the village of Jeevda in western Rajasthan holding crackerlike papads, fruits, and vegetables.
A bullock on the road outside of Jeevda. James Fisher
A chai wallah, tea seller, pours hot chai, a fragrantly spiced black tea with milk. James Fisher
A man milks his cow in Ajabdarh, north of Jodhpur. James Fisher
Lunch at the home of Vijay and Sujgan Bedla in Udaipur includes, clockwise from left, the goat stew, laal maas (right), paneer keema, mint, fresh cheese, and peas (bottom), padam puri aloo, curried potatoes; dal, rice, and pickles. James Fisher
The launch dock at the Taj Lake Palace on Pichola Lake in Udaipur. James Fisher
Making milk custard at Juni Dhan Mundi sweets shop in Jodhpur. James Fisher
Deliverymen haul sacks of rice and other foods in the morning in Old Delhi. James Fisher
Fresh Nan Khatai biscuits, similar to shortbread, cooked on a pan over coals, fresh and warm to eat in the morning in Old Delhi.
A namkeen (salty snacks) shop in Kapla Bazar in Jodhpur. James Fisher
Chef Afzal Ahmed cooks in a courtyard kitchen at Sulaiman Khan’s palace in Mahmudabad, in Uttar Pradesh. Ariana Lindquist
A crowd forms for pakodes, chickpea-battered and fried vegetables, at Khandani Pakode Wala in New Delhi. Ariana Lindquist
A stall selling salty fried snacks and enormous parathas to wrap around sweet halwah in Srinagar, Kashmir. Ariana Lindquist
Selling the saffron-splashed bread shirmal in Lucknow. Ariana Lindquist
Pouring chile water into pots in preparation of a wazwaan, a 36-course celebratory feast, in a village in Kashmir. Ariana Lindquist
Kashmiri sun-dried vegetables, a traditional wintertime ingredient, including, clockwise from left, bottle gourd, eggplant, turnips in two sizes, and tomatoes. north-india-kashmir-sheebans-famil
Kashmiri saffron, hand-harvested and processed from the stigmas of millions of purple crocuses. Ariana Lindquist
Kashmir Caravans tour guide Sheeban Chisti on a shikara on Nageen Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Ariana Lindquist
The floating market on Srinagar’s Dal Lake. Ariana Lindquist
A vendor sells kebabs at Amritsari Kulche Wale in New Delhi. Ariana Lindquist
Feeding a free daily lunch to thousands at the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib temple of the Sikhs in Delhi. Ariana Lindquist
Biryani vendors in the Nizamuddin, an historic Muslim neighborhood in Delhi. Ariana Lindquist
Proprietor Sundar Singh Sorot prepares an okra dish at Baba Dhaba on the Delhi Agra Road. Ariana Lindquist
