If you have ever followed Indian cuisine, you will see that most Indian dishes are thick, with few that are completely dry or completely watery. There is Chicken Curry, chicken cooked in a golden curry sauce, emitting the aroma of turmeric, ginger, fennel, and chili. Then there is Butter Chicken, chicken in a rich red tomato butter sauce. When scooped, the sauce is also thick. Besides that, there are other dishes that generally have a very similar consistency. It is like a type of thick porridge.

Why do Indians like to eat such thick foods?

Sitting at the dining table like that, you will notice one thing: almost no dish is dry. Everything is in the form of sauce but not as watery as Vietnamese soup and not as thick as pâté or Western thick soups. Rather, it is a thick consistency just enough to be mixed with rice, dipped with bread, or eaten directly. And the question arises: why does Indian cuisine prefer this thick consistency so much? Why is it not like other major cuisines that tend to focus on stir-frying, grilling, steaming, boiling, and so on?

The answer is quite interesting and lies in the combination of geography, climate, religion, and culture as well as the eating habits of India. First, we must mention the climate, that is, what does the heat and cold of India have to do with it? India is a scorching country in the literal sense. In many places during summer, temperatures exceed 40°C. The hot and humid weather makes food very prone to spoilage, especially meat and fish. Indians have had to find ways to preserve food for longer for thousands of years. And what is the solution? The main solution is spices. Turmeric, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and fennel are all strong, aromatic spices with antibacterial properties that are added to dishes not only to create flavor but also to protect health.

However, there is a problem: if cooked in a dry stir-fry or grilled like in other cuisines, the spices will only stick to the surface of the ingredients and are easily lost. Meanwhile, if cooked into a thick sauce, the spices can penetrate deep into each piece of meat, each bean, and most importantly, retain the aroma longer. Especially, the sauce also acts as a protective layer for the dish, helping it not to spoil quickly in the hot climate. Therefore, instead of letting vegetables, meat, and fish be dry, Indians prefer to simmer them in a mixture of spices with water, yogurt, coconut milk, or broth to create thick dishes. Spices are one thing, but the eating habits of Indians are another, and I believe this is one of the most important reasons.

One of the things that surprises foreigners coming to India is not only the spicy dishes but also the way Indians eat with their hands. The tradition of eating with hands has existed for thousands of years, stemming from religious beliefs and lifestyle. Hindus, or those who follow Hinduism, believe that the hand is not only a tool but also a part connected to the soul. Eating with hands is a way to experience the five senses in a meal from seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting to touching. That touch truly helps people connect with food. Therefore, Indians often only use their right hand to eat, as the left hand is considered unclean and is only used for other activities in daily life.

Now, try to put yourself in that situation. If you have a bowl of white rice and a plate of dry stir-fried vegetables in the Vietnamese style, eating with your hands would become an impossible task. The rice grains are loose, the stir-fried vegetables are slippery, and the large pieces of meat are easy to drop. Just one scoop, and you will find rice sticking all over your hands falling onto the table, while the piece of food goes nowhere. That is why cuisines that use chopsticks or knives and forks can enjoy dry dishes deliciously. Meanwhile, in India, rice is not eaten with dry dishes but always accompanied by curry or some thick sauce. You just need to take a handful of rice mixed with curry, shape it into a bite-sized piece, and put it straight into your mouth.

One scoop is enough for both the rice and the sauce to be sticky, compact, and delicious. If eating with flatbread, it is even more reasonable; just tear a piece of bread and dip it into the thick dish, and it is complete. No need for knives and forks, no need for chopsticks, and no need for spoons. The thick dish acts like a binding agent, keeping everything together. It helps the rice not to separate, helps the bread not to dry out, and helps the flavors blend. Imagine you are having a family meal in Hanoi with a bowl of soup, a plate of stir-fried water spinach with garlic, and a plate of caramelized meat. If you put away all the spoons and chopsticks and only eat with your hands, it would surely be very funny. The soup is watery, the rice is loose, and the vegetables are slippery. In contrast, the meal in India focuses entirely on thick curry. You just need a skillful hand.

When eating with hands, Indians often use their thumb to push food from their palm into their mouth. If the dish is too watery, it will spill out. If it is too dry, it will fall apart. Only the thick consistency is just right, sticky enough to hold in hand, soft enough to swallow easily, and heavy enough to feel substantial. This reasonableness has made the culture of eating with hands and thick dishes closely linked. We have a habit formed from spices, a habit formed from customs. And the next reason why Indians often use thick dishes is what they eat. Indian cuisine is based on two staples: rice and thick bread.

In Northern India, where the climate is drier, people eat more bread, and to enjoy good bread, there must be sauce accompanying it. A piece of bread that is not dipped into such thick sauces is considered to lose half of its deliciousness. In Southern India, where more rice is grown, rice is the main staple. But Indian rice is not always eaten dry. It is often served with a type of thick lentil soup that is sour and spicy or a spiced broth. Thus, from North to South, whether it is rice or bread, Indians need thick dishes to complete their meals.

Unlike Vietnamese meals, which have a clear division. Rice, stir-fried vegetables, main dishes, and soup, in India, everything is mixed into a combination. Everything is thick, and everything is eaten like that. This is an unchanging combo. People do not think of eating this dish with that dish but consider a piece of thick curry to be enough for everything. India is also special in that it is a place where many religions intersect. Hinduism prohibits eating beef, Islam prohibits eating pork, Buddhism and some other religions encourage vegetarianism, and some even avoid onions and garlic. So people began to seek protein sources from plants and dairy.

Lentils, chickpeas, vegetables, milk, and fresh cheese became the main ingredients. And when cooked, these ingredients are often soft, easy to mash, and easy to stew, resulting in thick dishes. These dishes not only align with religious beliefs but also fit with the culture of eating with hands, and everything circles back to the original thickness. Another aspect is the economic issue. India has long been a densely populated country, and during the British colonial period, there were over 200 million people. Today, the number has risen to over 1.4 billion, making it the most populous country in the world. With such a populous nation, preparing meals that can feed many people at once and especially share among many people at once is extremely important.

Thick dishes have a great advantage; they are easy to serve, easy to share, and easy to stretch portions. A large pot of curry can be scooped out for a dozen people, each with a bowl of rice and a little sauce. So everyone gets a portion. Moreover, rice eaten with thick curry creates a feeling of fullness, making meals more economical. This is how Indians ensure flavor while also feeding many people in one meal. The final reason, but no less important, is history. From the 16th to the 18th century, the Mughal Empire ruled most of India. They brought with them the cooking traditions of the Persians and Central Asians with many stews, sauces, and spices. They developed the technique of cooking masala, a mixture of roasted spices, ground and added to stews.

They contributed to shaping the thick cuisine of India today. When the British ruled, they brought this thick dish back to Europe, commonly referred to as curry, which we often use today. Since then, the image of India has become synonymous with curry, synonymous with thick dishes, and has begun to spread worldwide. Today, when talking about India, people immediately think of thick, spicy dishes, even though each region has a different variant.

In comparison with Vietnam and China, Vietnamese people are accustomed to meals with many dishes, with a clear division. Stir-fried dishes are stir-fried, main dishes are main, and soups are soups. We also like separation, rice is eaten with dry vegetables, and then soup is slurped. The Chinese prefer quick stir-frying, high heat, crispy vegetables, and tender meat, and their dishes are often dry. Meanwhile, Indians like to mix everything, as it all goes into the stomach anyway. Rice with curry, bread with curry, everything is combined into a complete bite.