Quantifying culinary diversity across countries.

Compare countries

Maltese vs Indian food & cuisine

Compare
Flag
Flag
Malta

VS

India

Malta

India

The average Maltese daily plate size is

The average Indian daily plate size is

2401 g.
1463 g.
Icon

Grains

Icon

Fish and seafood

Icon

Produce

Icon

Eggs and dairy

Icon

meats

Icon

Sugar, fats and nuts

Icon

Grains 456 G

WHEAT

391 G

RICE

24 G

CORN

36 G

BARLEY

0 G

RYE

0 G

OATS

2 G

MILLET

0 G

SORGHUM

0 G

OTHER CEREALS

3 G

Icon

Grains 506 G

WHEAT

174 G

RICE

282 G

CORN

19 G

BARLEY

3 G

RYE

0 G

OATS

0 G

MILLET

21 G

SORGHUM

7 G

OTHER CEREALS

0 G

Icon

Produce 755 G

PULSES

3 G

VEGETABLES

417 G

STARCHY ROOTS

104 G

FRUITS

231 G

SEA PLANTS

0 G

Icon

Produce 541 G

PULSES

40 G

VEGETABLES

246 G

STARCHY ROOTS

82 G

FRUITS

168 G

SEA PLANTS

0 G

Icon

Meats 198 G

POULTRY

66 G

PORK

67 G

BEEF

57 G

MUTTON AND GOAT

3 G

OTHER MEAT

2 G

OFFALS

3 G

Icon

Meats 16 G

POULTRY

8 G

PORK

1 G

BEEF

4 G

MUTTON AND GOAT

2 G

OTHER MEAT

0 G

OFFALS

1 G

Icon

Fish and seafood 79 G

FISH

60 G

SEAFOOD

19 G

Icon

Fish and seafood 22 G

FISH

21 G

SEAFOOD

1 G

Icon

Eggs and dairy 567 G

EGGS

33 G

MILK AND DAIRY

523 G

ANIMAL FATS

11 G

Icon

Eggs and dairy 224 G

EGGS

11 G

MILK AND DAIRY

204 G

ANIMAL FATS

9 G

Icon

SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 346 G

NUTS

29 G

SWEETENERS

239 G

SUGAR CROPS

0 G

VEG OILS

50 G

OILCROPS

28 G

Icon

SUGARS, FATS AND NUTS 154 G

NUTS

5 G

SWEETENERS

58 G

SUGAR CROPS

37 G

VEG OILS

24 G

OILCROPS

30 G

Icon

Herbs

OREGANO

PARSLEY

ROSEMARY

SAGE

THYME

BAY LEAVES

MINT

CILANTRO

CURRY LEAVES

FENUGREEK LEAVES

HOLY BASIL

LEMONGRASS

Malta
Common
India

OREGANO

PARSLEY

ROSEMARY

SAGE

THYME

BAY LEAVES

MINT

CILANTRO

CURRY LEAVES

FENUGREEK LEAVES

HOLY BASIL

LEMONGRASS

Icon

Spices

PAPRIKA

BLACK PEPPER

CINNAMON

CLOVES

CUMIN

FENNEL SEED

SAFFRON

AJWAIN SEEDS

ASAFOEDITA

BLACK CARDAMOM

BLACK CUMIN

BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS

CORIANDER

DRY CHILI

GINGER

GREEN CARDAMOM

KOKUM

MACE

MANGO POWDER

MUSTARD SEEDS

NIGELA SEED

TURMERIC DRY

Malta
Common
India

PAPRIKA

BLACK PEPPER

CINNAMON

CLOVES

CUMIN

FENNEL SEED

SAFFRON

AJWAIN SEEDS

ASAFOEDITA

BLACK CARDAMOM

BLACK CUMIN

BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS

CORIANDER

DRY CHILI

GINGER

GREEN CARDAMOM

KOKUM

MACE

MANGO POWDER

MUSTARD SEEDS

NIGELA SEED

TURMERIC DRY

Icon

Aromatics

CARROT

CELERY STALKS

FENNEL

ORANGE

TOMATO

GARLIC

LEMON

ONION

CHILI PEPPERS

GINGER

LIME

PANDANUS LEAVES

TURMERIC

Malta
Common
India

CARROT

CELERY STALKS

FENNEL

ORANGE

TOMATO

GARLIC

LEMON

ONION

CHILI PEPPERS

GINGER

LIME

PANDANUS LEAVES

TURMERIC

Icon

Condiments

ANCHOVIES

CAPERS

HONEY

OLIVE OIL

OLIVES

TOMATO PASTE

WINE

WINE VINEGAR

CLARIFIED BUTTER

JAGGERY

MUSTARD OIL

TAMARIND

YOGURT

Malta
Common
India

ANCHOVIES

CAPERS

HONEY

OLIVE OIL

OLIVES

TOMATO PASTE

WINE

WINE VINEGAR

CLARIFIED BUTTER

JAGGERY

MUSTARD OIL

TAMARIND

YOGURT

India

SEASONINGS

Indian cuisine has a sophisticated flavor-building logic, built on 4,000 years of philosophy.  Spices serve as medicine, art, and spiritual practice together. Indian seasonings dance between bold and subtle, hot and cooling, earthy and tangy, always striving for balance, saatvik. Ayurveda recognizes six fundamental tastes that must be balanced in every meal: sweet (madhura), sour (amla), salty (lavana), pungent (katu), bitter (tikta), and astringent (kashaya). This balance is achieved with thali, a concept where one meal consists of multiple small dishes designed to complement each other’s flavors.

The combination of bitter, astringent, and pungent tastes – alongside sweet, sour, and salty – is a key reason why Indian food stands out globally and tastes so distinct.

Unlike Western cuisine’s complementary approach, Indian cooking deliberately contrasts flavors through spice combinations that create harmony through opposition. Take, for example, mango pickle, aam ka achaar. This pickle combines the intense sourness and astringency of raw mango with fiery chili powder, pungent mustard oil, and salt. The flavors oppose and intensify each other, yet after time spent melding, they balance and complement in the finished pickle.

Indian seasoning works in layers to introduce taste at every stage of the dish. You don’t just throw in cumin and call it a day. First to go is the tadka tempering, flavouring the oil with mustard seeds, cardamom pods, or fennel seeds. This technique creates a ‘continuous presence’ of multiple flavors throughout the cooking process. Later, mid-cooking spice additions develop complexity. Finishing touches provide brightness to dishes. You might add turmeric early to cook off its bitterness, but garam masala goes in last – aromatic and unboiled. Each step builds a scaffolding of flavor that lingers on the tongue in waves.

Masala simply means a spice mixture, which by no means is simple.  It’s an umbrella for any combination of spices that can either be wet or dry. No two kitchens have the same masala. Even salt is added at a specific stage to bind flavor. Garam Masala literally means ‘warm spice blend’.  This blend creates what’s called a ‘warming’ effect – not heat like chili peppers, but a sense of internal warmth. Core components of garam masala are cinnamon, green/black cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, and cumin. Many recipes also include bay leaves, mace, coriander, star anise, and fennel seeds. Again, the variations are endless.

Masala dabba is a popular spice storage container used in local kitchens. It has a number of small cups, often seven, placed inside a round or square box, filled with:

ASAFOEDITA. Provides umami depth – its pungent raw smell transforms into musky complexity when heated in oil.
TURMERIC POWDER. Golden color, anti-inflammatory benefits, peppery-woody taste.
CUMIN SEEDS.  Nutty, earthy warmth, essential for tempering and ground spice blends.
BLACK MUSTARD SEEDS. Characteristic popping sound and nutty flavor.
CHILI POWDER. Color and mild heat.
CORIANDER. Citrusy, earthy notes.
GARAM MASALA completes the essential seven.

Read more
Back to Top