Fruits and vegetables before eating either peeling or cooking
One of the biggest concerns that Indian-Travelers have: what can be eaten in India unscathed and what foods should rather be avoided during the time in India?
In fact, there are certain foods and drinks that you should avoid during a trip to India, especially if you are only in India for a few days or weeks.
This is not always, because the food is contaminated, but often because of the different bacteria composition in the food in different countries.
The first and most important rule is: Do not drink tap water! The Indian tap water is not cleaned nearly as much as ours and is in some cases heavily contaminated with germs and bacteria. Typhoid fever in particular poses a danger! Especially in Indian cities, the water should be avoided. Even the Indians themselve would not drink it! Either buy bottled water (and now worries here, that in India tap water is selled in receiled water bottles is not happening anymore) or take filtered water, which you will fins in many restaurants and backpacker places.
Due to the contaminated water, you should also refrain from eating fruit and vegetables that are not peeled or cooked! So don’t eat grapes, unpeeled apples, etc.
The same applies to fruit juices, drinks with ice cubes and ice cream. There is nothing wrong with a normal ice cream from the freezer! I’m talking about juices that are diluted with water, ice cubes in drinks and homemade ice cream. I am not referring to the ice cream or drinks that are available in selected restaurants, but to goods offered by street vendors or in small, slightly dirtier restaurants that should be strictly avoided.
Salads should also be avoided during a shorter stay in India. Lettuce in particular are dangerous! In the meantime, however, there are also many restaurants that have adapted to foreign travellers and put the vegetables in nitric acid or wash with filtered water.
In addition, I would largely refrain from eating meat, especially in the summer months and in the major Indian cities!
Exceptions are the rural mountain regions or in slightly better restaurants. Due to constant power outages, the cold chain is often simply not able to be resisted and in many restaurant kitchens, there is simply no good hygienic standard.
Food poisoning due to vegetarian food is overcome within three days. If, on the other hand, one eats fouled meat, it is more serious!
Ii is often said, that milk and dairy products in India should be avoided.
I do not fully agree with that. One the one hand it might be difficult to avoid them (cream in the dish, milk in the tea), on the other hand India is famous for it`s milk products and some Indians in certain regions really rely on them. That is one reason, why the cow is holy. In this region the milk products are super fresh, super tasty and you will get real specialities being made out of them.
There is probably nothing wrong with a beautiful Indian masala chai with milk. Especially since the milk never comes directly from the cow, but is pasteurized and homogenized. Even a nice lassi (yogurt drink) or a yogurt along a spicy dish is soothing. Have a look again where you are: in the dirtiest and most remote restaurant far and wide, of course, different rules apply. But in a normal restaurant, you don’t have to worry.
I think it is important that, while you should be careful what you are in India and drink, you should not put too much strain on it so that you can enjoy the trip. Especially the Indian cuisine, is considered one of the best and most diverse and you should use that!
Especially if the meals are freshly cooked, as on our tours and in the hotels and homestays where we accommodate you, you don’t have to worry! On the contrary, it can be slumbered and enjoyed.
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