History Of Indian Specialties











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INDIAN SPECIALTIES

SPECIALTIES IN INDIA
India is a country of varied culture and diversity. Almost every state and city in India has its own unique feature or specialty that is its forte. No two places in India share the same culture or special interest. Hence there is no doubt that India is called a sub-continent. The Indian specialty products are not only specific to the place but they have a long history of tradition attached with them. We Indians simply cannot imagine a life without our famous Indian specialty products in our day to day life. No wonder the Indian Diaspora spread out across the globe make it a point that they hoard these Indian specialty items before they head back to their place of stay. Most of the products listed here as Indian specialty have been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI tag) which is an indication that the product corresponds to a specific location or origin in India by the World Trade Organization.

ASSAM CANE

The history of Assam cane and its associated products in India is traced back to the 2nd century AD. The cane furniture of India is characterized with features like lucidness and comfort with extreme beauty or aesthetic appeal. Cane is noted for its special property in spite of being quite strong it can also be bendable easily and thus making it ideal for furniture making....

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CAMEL LEATHER

The history of Jaipur leather and its related products dates back to more than thousands of years. Jaipur which is otherwise more popularly known as the Pink city is very famous across the globe for its leather craft industry. The busy market of Jaipur confirms the fact that the city is noted for its vibrant colors' real treat of the leather items can be found in the markets....

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DARJEELING TEA

India takes the pride of owning the world famous Darjeeling tea which cannot be compared with its counterparts for it is unparalleled in the world. Darjeeling tea is from Darjeeling situated in the state of West Bengal.

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GOAN FENNY/ FENI

Feni is branded as the country liquor which is native and unique to the state of Goa and hence cannot be old anywhere outside Goa.Sattari a small town in province of Goa is the real fenny capital of the state. The name feni is derived from the Sanskrit word phena which actually means froth or foam....

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CHANNAPATNA TOYS

Channapatna a rural area situated at a distance of about 60kms from Bangalore is noted for its famous handmade lacquer wooden toys all over the world and hence popularly known as Gombegala Ooru or the toy-town of Karnataka. The origin of the wooden toys date back to the period of Tipu Sultan....

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KALAMKARI WORKS

Kalamkari one of the most traditional art form of India is noted for its extraordinary beautiful hand paintings on fabrics. The word kalam means pen and kari means work according the language of Hindi. The kalamkari artists make use special pens which are particularly crafted for this purpose from the bamboo tree....

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HYDERABAD PEARLS

The Pearl is one of nature�s many miracles. While other gemstones are minerals produced from the earth, the pearl is a mineral created from life itself, a marine jewel. One of five precious jewel in the world , the other four being the sapphire, the ruby, the diamond....

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KARIMEEN

Karimeen is the green chromide fish (Etroplus suratensis) which is a species belonging to cichlid fish from freshwater and back waters in southern India and Sri Lanka. It is known by different names in different languages - Pearl spot in English, karimeen in Malayalam, koral in Bengali, kundal in Oriya and Kalundar in Konkani.....

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KASHMIR CARPETS

The Kashmiri carpets are famous not only in India but across the globe. The Kashmiri carpet is known for its speciality of being handmade and similarly it is knotted and not tufted. The idea of carpets is nearly 1500 years old and it is not exactly known where and by whom the first carpet was made....

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KERALA COIR

Kerala takes the pride of having the precious gift of coir or the golden fiber which is one of the very old traditional industries generating employment for thousands and thousands of people. There is lot of stories related to the birth of the golden fiber. The first mention of it in the history dates back to the period of Ramayana.....

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KUMBAKONAM COFFEE

Kumbakonam which is famous for its brass vessels, Music, Kadappa, Temples is also popularly noted for its degree or the filter coffee. A cup of coffee at the start of the day makes a person brighter and helps to give a brisk kick- start to the day. The Kumbakonam degree coffee is noted for its flavor and aroma....

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MADURAI MALLI

Madurai Malli is jasmine flower which is known for its powerful, mysteriously attractive and seductive fragrance. It is known as Madurai Malli because of its place of origin namely Madurai. Madurai is in the province of Tamil Nadu in India. All the women of Tamil Nadu at least once in their life time would have adorned their hair with this highly scented beautiful flower....

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MARBLE INLAY WORK

Rajasthan also known as the Land of Rajputs is noted across the globe for its art, crafts, culture, palace and forts. The Rajputs always gave due respect and regards for all the artists from different fields and also placed them in high position in their courts....

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MEDU VADA

Medu Vada or the Indian doughnut is one of the most traditional foods of South India rated high for its ancient past. Medu vada is a favorite South Indian food which is very commonly prepared at home and it is an indispensable part of everyday cuisine....

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MYSORE SANDAL SOAP

The Government of Karnataka owns the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited company which manufactures the world famous Mysore Sandal Soap. The person who initiated the production of this branded soap in the year 1916 was the then King of Mysore - Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar.....

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NAGPUR ORANGE

The city of Nagpur in the province of Maharashtra in India is also proudly known as the orange city. The Nagpur oranges are a wide variety of monsoon fruit which is grown in Nagpur. This countryside rustic fruit which is disfigured with pockmarks gives a tangy sweet taste having a juicy pulp in it....

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ORISSA STONE CRAFTING

Stone carvings of Orissa date back to the 13th century A.D, which was contemporary to the Kalinga School of medieval North Indian architecture.The state of Orissa in India is known for its rich cultural and artistic inheritance. Orissa a traditionally old state was ruled by many rulers in the past.....

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PLYWOOD

Thin sheets of wood veneer put together gives the structure of a wooden panel which is termed as plywood. Plywood is manufactured from medium density fiberboard called as MDF and particle board known as chipboard.The layers of plywood are pasted together with adjacent plies having their wood grain rotated relative to adjacent layers up to 90 degrees....

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TIE AND DYE

Tie and Dye is the process by which a fabric is dyed using a particular resist dying method. In this method the fabric or the material which has to be dyed is tied in a specific pattern and then binding it in place with rubber bands, clamps, or strings.Then the dye is applied to the fabric which binds to that portion of the material....

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TIRUPUR HOSIERY

Tirupur the textile town popularly known as the Banian City or the Knit City is a centre for cotton market and cotton ginning factories.This bustling town visited by at least 35 countries is noted for its performance in technology and the quality of its macroeconomic environment....

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WINTER HOSIERY

Ludhiana situated in the North Indian state of Punjab is an important industrial town noted for its textile and related industries. Ludhiana is popularly known as the Manchester of India located at a distance of about 300kms from the capital Delhi....

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BONE CARVING

Bone carving is a prehistoric art which involves the process of carving animal bones especially the antlers' horns. Carving of the bone results in embellishment of a bone and thereby the creation of a figure. Bone has been used also from ancient times for making utility articles as well as decorative ones....

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CHIKANKARI WORKS

Chikankari one of the most traditional embroidery styles from Lucknow is believed to be introduced by Nur Jehan, Mughal emperor Jahangir's wife. The very word Chikankari means embroidery which is delicate and shadow work type of embroidery. There are mentions about the chikankari work by the famous Greek traveler, Megasthenes as early as 3rd century BC ....

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EMBROIDERY FABRICS

Embroidery dates back to the 3rd-5th century BC . The art of embroidery originated from the process of tailoring, patch making, mending and strengthening cloth which encouraged the development of new techniques in sewing and indeed the decorative possibilities of sewing....

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BATIK FABRICS

Batik is more of a traditionally made cloth whose origin is not precisely known. It dates back to nearly 1,500 years ago where the dye resistance pattern on cloths were said to be seen in Egypt and the Middle East. But however samples of Batik are also seen in other countries like Turkey, India, China, Japan and West Africa....

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COORG COFFEE

One of the most precious natures' gift to mankind is said to be coffee and especially the one grown in the altitudes of Coorg. Though the origin is not known it is believed to have originated in India amidst the Chandagiri Hills of Chikmagalur district. The coffee from Coorg is supposed to be the world's best mild coffee....

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KANCHEEPURAM SAREES

The town of Kancheepuram near Chennai in Tamilnadu is also popularly known across the country as Silk city for the economy of the town is mainly based on the people weaving silk sarees. The weavers from this town are believed to have settled at least 400 years back and they stamped a fortunate opinion across the globe....

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JAIPUR BLUE POTTERY

Jaipur which is a center of many traditional craft is also said to be noted for its Blue pottery craft, though it is said to be Turko- Persian in origin. The art of blue pottery which gives a shiny glazed finish on the pots was developed by the Mughal artisans ....

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KASHMIR APPLE

Kashmir proudly known as the paradise of earth is also home to temperate fruits like apple for which the state is very famous across the globe. The main factor which influences temperate fruit bearing trees is soil, climate and environment which are highly favorable and unparalleled in the province of Kashmir....

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KERALA CARDAMOM

Cardamom also popularly known as "Ilachi" is native to South India and Gautemala. Cardamom also known as the Queen of Spices was grown wild in South Western India two hundred years ago. It was the British who entrenched the cardamom plantations in India....

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KOLHAPURI FOOTWEAR

The Kolhapuri chappal is the world famous handcrafted footwear which was initially specially designed in the Kolhapur town of Maharashtra state in India. These handmade leather footwears are tanned by using vegetable dyes. The traditional designs of the Kolhapuri footwear are very famous not only in the rural areas of Maharasthra....

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KUNDAN WORKS

Kundan refers to the jewellery in which kundan is applied, mostly made from a core of lac, a natural resin. Kundan works are also known as Kundan keshri which is the traditional South Asian gemstone jewellery. Ornaments made of these semi- precious Kundan stones are said to be the oldest from of jewellery in India...

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MARBLE CARVING

Marble carving is one of the oldest art form involving the creation of three-dimensional forms from marble. Much before painting started the art of carving shapes from stones started. With this as a beginning, artifacts have evolved to what they are today.....

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MYSORE MASALA DOSA

Mysore known as the city of palaces is not only famous for its Dasahara Festival but also for other renowned recipes like Mysore Masala Dosa, Mysore pak, Mysore rasam and Mysore bonda.Mysore located in the southern part of India is famous for its rice based masala dosa....

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MYSORE PAK

The history of the Mysore Pak dates back to 17 or the 18th century having its origin from Mysore in the state of Karnataka. Mysore Pak is a mouth watering dish of India made with roasted gram flour and clarified butter which gives the aroma and taste to the sweet.....

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MYSORE SILK SAREES

The Mysore Silk sarees are one of the finest forms of sarees which is very popular across the globe. It comes in vibrant colors and gives a rich feel and a classic look to the saree. Like the Kancheepuram silk sarees the Mysore silk saree are also an innate form of the culture and the tradition of the people of both South and North India....

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NILGIRIS TEA

The Nilgiri tea is from the mountains of the Western Ghats in South India in the district of Nilgiris situated in the province of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiris is one of the major tea producing regions in India. The Nilgiri Planters' Association of South India founded in 1981 represents the plantations of this area....

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PASHMINA SHAWLS

The Pashmina shawls are also known as Cashmere shawls which originally got its name from the Persian word for wool. Pashmina is actually said to have originated from the neighboring country Nepal where they had to look upon various factors favorable to keep them warm....

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RASAGULLA

A meal without a dessert at the end is zero for most of the Indians. Dessert is the best part of a meal especially if it is traditional milk- based one like the all- time favorite kheer, or the rasagulla or even the halwa or the burfee. You may of course, prefer the melt in the mouth for there are more milk- based sweet varieties....

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TIRUNELVELI HALWA

The visiting card of Tirunelveli is its sweet delicious culinary preparation, the Tirunelveli halwa. It is a very famous dish not only liked by the inhabitants of Tirunelveli area but also across the globe. This halwa with a jelly like texture looks golden brown with ghee and roasted cashew nuts giving the halwa a greasy appearance....

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TODDY DRINK

The coconut palm which occupies both the tropical and the sub tropical areas are known for its varied uses with its different parts across the globe. The wine got from the coconut palm in Kerala is more popularly known as kallu, palm toddy or simply toddy. Toddy is more of an alcoholic beverage which is got from the sap of different kinds of palm trees.....

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SHELL CRAFTS

Shell craft in India does not have a major history behind it for it was developed by a team of pioneers and designers constantly in the action of trailing something new and exclusive. This craft involves the making of colorful and fascinating decorative objects by using sea shells....

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