From parathas (stuffed flatbreads), puris (deep-fried bread), chaats (savoury snacks), gucchi pilaf (rice with morel mushrooms) to kebabs (cooked meat dishes), niharis (slow-cooked stew of mutton), daulat ki chaat (an avant garde version of milk skin), jalebi (deep-fried sweet pretzel) and the famous raan (a mutton-dish) , north India scores beautifully on vibrancy of cuisine. From the largest collection of parathas and differently-styled puris to kachoris (spicy snack), north India doesn't only have the biggest share of flatbreads in its kitty, but also an amazing array of dishes that are made with mutton, chicken and milk products.

The northern part of India is popular for creating a whole class of cuisine based on a single type of ingredient. Anyone who has partook of the delectable Rajasthani food, which has been mostly developed on spices, would happily agree. Mixed with ker, lentils and grains, clever concoctions such as dal batti-churma, ker sangri (wildly grown cactus-like plant), laal maas (spicy mutton made with lots of red chilli), gatte ki sabzi (gravy-based dish) and mohanthal (rice and gram flour barfi), have been made.

The northern sentinel of the country, Kashmir, also has a scrumptious menu to its credit. Ranging from haaq (a local spinach delicacy) to gustaba (meat balls), from tabak maaz (fried-lamb ribs) to khatta baigan (eggplant dish), the milieu of dishes leave one wanting more.

Travelling down to the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh, one can find sidku (yeast bread), chaa gosht (mutton curry) and a wide variety of fruit wines. The highlight of the cuisine here is the common use of chulah to cook and tandoor to bake.