Happy Diwali!!
To celebrate the Hindu festival of lights, I have decided to order food from Thali of India!
Thali of India, located in Henrietta, is probably one of the best (if not the best) North Indian restaurant in Rochester. When you think of Indian food, you probably think exactly about the food at Thali--naan, tandoori chicken, paneer makhani, samosa, aloo gobi--it really has any North Indian dish you crave. The name of the restaurant--Thali थाली--comes from the classic Indian dish--a steel plate filled with many different small dishes which include, vegetables, dals, rice, sweets, and sometimes meats.
I went all out at Thali, and ordered way too much food. At the end of the meal, I was super full but also immensely satisfied. I ordered dal makhani, kadai paneer, aloo gobi (potatos and cauliflower), bindi masala (okra), samosa, and veg pakodas. YUM! The flavors were all delicious, and as a paneer (an common Indian type of cheese) lover, the kadai paneer was my favorite. The dal makhani--a classic Indian dish consisting of cooked lentil (sort of like a soup) and butter and cream--was also flavorful and I could not stop eating it. I wasn't as impressed with the aloo gobi or the bindi masala but it was still tasty. And of course, when could I ever say now to a deep fried samosa?!
India is a country full of many different languages and cultures, and is proof that a country does not need a common religion, language, or culture to develop a strong and thriving national identity. Hindi is the most commonly spoken language in India, but the region where this type of food originates from is in Punjab, in the far north of India. Punjab is filled with colorful, thriving culture and delicious food, and is home to the Punjabi language. Unlike other languages, Punjabi is tonal. Punjabi also uses a different alphabet--the Gurmukhi ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ--which is different from the Hindi Devanagari देवनागरी.
With so many people, India is bound to have endangered languages. Learn more here: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/the-endangered-and-extinct-languages-of-india-news-194995
"In 2018, a report by UNESCO stated that 42 languages in India were heading towards extinction. And these were spoken by less than 10,000 people.
The languages or dialects which were considered endangered, include 11 from Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Lamongse, Luro, Muot, Onge, Pu, Sanenyo, Sentilese, Shompen and Takahanyilang), seven from Manipur (Aimol, Aka, Koiren, Lamgang, Langrong, Purum and Tarao) and four from Himachal Pradesh (Baghati, Handuri, Pangvali and Sirmaudi)."
ਅਲਵਿਦਾ
-The Linguistic Foodie :)
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