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Six cities including Mumbai, Amritsar, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai ranked in TasteAtlas’s Top 100 Food Cities across the world, showcasing India’s rich culinary heritage
Indian food, often stereotyped as “spicy” or “rich,” is far more layered. (Shutterstock)
When the world sits down to discuss food, and six Indian cities find their place on the global map, it’s not just a moment of pride, it’s a moment of recognition for centuries of heritage simmered, spiced, and served on a plate. In the recently released TasteAtlas rankings of the Top 100 Food Cities in the World, India’s culinary culture has made a powerful mark with Mumbai (Rank 5), Amritsar (43), Delhi (45), Hyderabad (50), Kolkata (71), and Chennai (75) all making the list.
Indian food, often stereotyped as “spicy” or “rich,” is far more layered. It’s the flavour of monsoon-drenched soil, the rhythm of harvests, the rituals of worship, and the timeless echo of family kitchens.
Every dish from every region tells a story. As food historian Alok Singh explained to The Indian Express, “The magic of Indian cuisine lies in its remarkable ability to create entirely different flavour profiles using a shared set of ingredients. Across India, staples such as rice, lentils, wheat, spices, and vegetables are common, but the techniques, proportions of spices, methods of cooking, and even the timing of adding ingredients vary widely. What makes regional Indian cuisines truly distinct is how deeply they are tied to local climate, soil, seasonal availability, and cultural traditions.”
Take Mumbai, for instance, which soared to the 5th position globally. Its famed Kheema Pav and Koliwada Prawns are not just street food; they’re a microcosm of the city’s chaos, sea air, and soul. In Amritsar, food bursts with ghee-laced joy, from Kulcha-Lassi combos to langar-inspired simplicity rooted in farms and gurudwaras. Delhi, with its Mughal past and modern hunger, serves up Chole-Bhature that carry the taste of both royal kitchens and bustling bazaars.
Hyderabad’s biryani, Alok Singh points out, was born of Iranian and Mughal influences but has since become unmistakably local, infused with the aroma of Telangana’s spices and traditions. Lucknow’s kebabs and kormas, once exclusive to the Nawabs, now live on in the smoky grills of old city lanes. Kolkata’s Kathi rolls and Mughlai parathas retain traces of British and Mughal eras, even as the tang of mustard oil and the rhythm of Bengali cooking make them uniquely regional. In Chennai, the crisp dosa, airy idlis, and tangy sambhar reflect not just cuisine but climate, caste, and community.
What makes these flavours endure across generations? Singh believes it’s the way food is interwoven into Indian life, not as a necessity but as a form of emotional memory. “Whether it is the crispiness of a dosa, the rich layers of biryani, the softness of a kulcha paired with spiced chole, or the playful chaos of flavours in chaat, each of these dishes triggers a sensory and emotional response. They evolve with time and travel well across regions, yet manage to retain their cultural core,” he said.
The TasteAtlas rankings underscore this emotional richness. These cities were not chosen simply for star restaurants or Instagrammable cafes, but for their authentic street fare, homegrown flavours, and the deep cultural contexts in which these dishes were born and evolved.
And yet, the journey of Indian food doesn’t end at nostalgia; it continues to travel, transform, and triumph. In faraway lands, dishes like butter chicken, masala dosa, and paneer tikka now headline menus. Even in Trinidad, as seen during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, food served on a Sohari leaf drew attention to ancient customs crossing oceans.
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