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The dietary customs in India are highly dependent on religion and culture. There are many religions in India , and this produces a diverse range of diets suited to individual religious beliefs. Hindus constitute 80% of the Indian population and they follow a lot of rituals. The first time they feed the baby with solid food is celebrated as one of the important ceremonies. They take the baby to a temple and feed the baby at the altar of God with a golden bowl and spoon. Some do it with silver and some with other precious metals depending upon their affordability.

Hindus consider cow as a sacred animal, so they do not eat beef. Some Hindus are purely vegetarians, some are vegetarians but eat egg, some are completely meat eaters (non-vegetarians). However, they celebrate most festivals with vegetarian foods. The food is first offered to their God and crow (they believe that their dead ancestors come in the form of crow) and then served to others at home. Food is served on banana leaf during festivals and marriages.

There is also an order for serving the food on the banana leaf. A little water is sprinkled over the banana leaf to clean them. Sweets are served first, followed by vegetable curries and rice. Food is eaten with fingers(usually of the right hand), and spoons are generally avoided. Generally, the eldest person is served first out of respect. They wait for everyone to finish their food before dispersing. The banana leaf is closed from back to front after eating which denotes they are satisfied with what they ate. They say that they close the banana leaf from front to back when they eat after a funeral service in someones home, which represents some incident like this should not happen again.

It is also customary to serve a cup water first to anybody who comes home. Other good manners like washing hands before and after eating, not wasting food, and eating without making noise (by sucking, licking) are all followed. Fastings are strictly followed once or twice a week. Some drink water and juice, many don't eat anything on that day. There is also a complete month where they don't eat any non-vegetarian foods.

Muslims do not eat any meat with blood in it. They usually offer a prayer before slaughtering the animal. They also eat only on restaurants or buy meat from shops which is marked halal. They do not eat pork, they consider pig to be an unclean animal. They strictly fast everyday for a month even without swallowing saliva before the festival Ramzan Id. They enjoy get togethers and eating food with others.

Christians have their own preferences, likes and dislikes. They do not forbid anything. Some Christians follow their lent days (40 days before Easter) by not eating any kind of meat.

The dietary customs vary in different parts of India . South Indians prefer food made of rice, north Indians prefer wheat, west Indians prefer vegetables and east Indians like sweets. Most Indians go for hot and spicy foods. Food is considered important in marriages and in any other occasions. Indians wives find their way to their husband's heart through the delicious food they cook. Any uninvited or unexpected guest will also be served with good food even when they go without prior notice. Indian food is always yummy and Indians are very hospitable in nature.

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