India is a melting pot of races, cultures and religions. It is this cultural diversity that brings such richness and depth to Indian food.

At various periods in India's long history, successive waves of settlers and invaders including the Aryans, Parthians, Greeks and Central Asians, Jews and Zorastrians came into the country and merged with the local population. This explains the variety of racial types, cultures and languages in India.

North Indian food has it’s origins in the arrival of the Muslims from western Asia into the sub continent. The Muslims brought their rich artistic and gastronomic culture to India. This influence lasted for more than 400 years and is now part of the fabric of Indian culinary culture. The two colliding cultures resulted in a magnificent cuisine called Mughlai Cuisine. The lamb kebabs were laced with spices, the rice pulaos of India were cooked with meat and turned into wonderful biryanis, lamb and meat roasts were now flavored with Indian herbs, spices and seasonings. Also, Indian dishes were garnished with almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins. India was also introduced to leavened breads by the Muslims. At this time the tandoor was created by the royal chefs. The Indian rotis and the leavened breads were merged into tandoori naans. Meats were now marinated in yogurt and spices and also cooked in tandoors.

The idea of concluding a meal with sweetmeats was introduced as the Persian rulers loved sweets. The great Muslim rulers brought their panache and elegance of living to India's culinary scene. The idea of community dinning and lavish and extravagant banquets were introduced to India. Dishes were served in jade, silver and Chinese porcelain. The splendor of the Mughal/Muslim cuisine is reflected in the Mughlai Cuisine of India which is the richest and the most lavish in the country. Since then, Mughlai cuisine has been synonymous to North Indian food.