Minerals in India
India has significant reserves of iron ore, coal, and manganese ore. Bauxites, chromites, magnesites, brown coal, graphite, mica, diamonds, gold, ferrous metal ores, coal are mined in the south of the country. There is oil in the state of Gujarat and on the continental shelf.
Banks in India
On weekdays, banks are open from 10.00 to 14.00, on Saturday – from 10.00 to 12.00. There are branches that are open in the evenings or on Sundays. All banks are closed during public holidays, as well as on June 30 and December 31.
Money in India
According to TOP-MEDICAL-SCHOOLS, the monetary unit in India is the INR rupee (1 rupee = 100 pise). Import and export of the national currency is prohibited. It is best to take money in US dollars with you, then you can easily exchange them for rupees at a bank or hotel exchange office. When exchanging, you should keep the receipt, as it will be required when exchanging rupees back for dollars.
In major cities, you can use a credit card. The most common are Master Card, Visa International and American Express.
Rate: 100 Indian Rupee (INR) = 1.29 USD
Cuisine in India
Indian national cuisine has many striking features, thanks to which it cannot be confused with any other cuisine in the world. The basis of Indian cuisine is a variety of vegetables, fish, rice, flour products.
But the main distinguishing feature is the use of a large number of spices, which are added in various combinations to almost any dish, even sweets. Among the spices, curry (sauce) occupies a special place. Now this spice is known all over the world, but the curry plant itself, which forms the basis of the mixture, grows only in India. Many spices used in food also have a medicinal effect, the correct selection of certain spices according to the weather cools the body in the heat or warms in the cold.
In the north, where many Muslims live, they eat mit curry – lamb stewed in yogurt with the famous spice; kimu – minced lamb with spices; rogan-josh – lamb with curry sauce, gushtaba – spicy meatballs in yogurt; biryani – chicken or lamb with rice and orange sauce; tunduri – chicken, meat and fish marinated with herbs and baked in a clay oven. Kebabs are also from the north of the country.
In the south, dishes are mostly vegetable, with a lot of spices and pepper added. One of the most delicious dishes is tandoori chikken – chicken baked on coals. Also common there are bhujia – curry vegetables; dosa and samba – rice cakes, dumplings stuffed with pickles and curry lentils; Raitu – yogurt with grated vegetables or just cucumber and mint.
On the coasts, many fish and seafood dishes are prepared. Here on the menu there are such dishes as the Bombay duck – stewed in curry or fried fish bomnlo; licorice fish – Indian salmon; dahi-maach – curry fish in ginger-flavoured yoghurt; mailai – shrimp curry with coconut.
In the south, rice is obligatory, in the north it is supplemented with cakes – puri, chappati, nan and others.
The most characteristic Indian dish, which can be found both in an upscale restaurant and in a street eatery, is dal, something like a bean stew, to which a lot of spices, onions and carrots are sure to be added. Dal is usually served with rice or roti (often also called chapoti) – ordinary wholemeal wheat cakes baked in the tandoor. Dal is made from peas, soybeans, white and red beans.
Common to all India are such additions to the main dishes as dhai – curdled milk or yogurt, which is served with curry. In the heat, this delicious dish refreshes the body well, even better than drinks. In normal everyday cuisine, dishes such as sabji (like a stew, but with a variety of spices and peppers), paneer (homemade cheese), thali (a large dish with a varied assortment served with rice or flatbread) are used. Of the flour products, these are roti (thin crispy cakes), chapatis (more dense cakes), naan (fluffy cake, with the addition of yogurt), dosa (patties stuffed with potatoes and paratha spices).
From sweets and desserts, milk puddings, pancakes and cookies are mainly served. Kulfi – Indian ice cream, rassgulla – curd balls seasoned with rose water, gulab-jamun – flour, yogurt and grated almonds, grind – made from milk foam with sweet sauce, jalebi – pancakes in syrup, buffy – sweetness from dry milk with fillers. In addition to wonderful sweets, India has a rich selection of fruits, including chili and exotic fruits, such as pomegranates, melons, mangoes, apricots, tangerines, strawberries, bananas, papaya, goava, lynch.
Of the drinks in India, tea is common, which differs significantly from the usual for Russians, as hot milk and spices are added to it. A pleasant drink is tea with lemon, ginger and honey. Good refreshing lemon drink – nimbu-pani, lassi (kefir drink with fruits) and coconut milk straight from the coconut, which is extremely cheap in the south, about 5 rupees. Juices, fruit waters, coffee are also common.
Alcoholic drinks are available in major cities. Their use is not customary, and some states such as Tamil Nadu and Gujarat even require a special permit for alcohol. But in some states, for example in Goa, you can try national vodka. In the state of Goa, it is called “feni” and is made from coconut palm juice and cashew nuts.
