If you are interested in looking at the origins of Indian Food then you will have to go back down the memory lane to the ancient Indian civilizations of Harappa and Mahenjodaro. The Dravidian civilization was basically an urban and not agrarian civilization. That is why they set up huge granaries to store grains.

Dravidians also sowed the seeds of Ayurveda that was the base of Indian Cuisine. The concept of Ayurveda was further developed by the Aryans who invaded, conquered and drove out the Dravidas towards the southern India.

Rice and chicken were introduced in Indian soil imported from Thailand while wheat and sheep were imported from West Asia. Wheat was the source for both soup and chapattis. The Dravidians in Harappa and Mahenjodaro invented Indian Recipes that did not change at the time of the Aryan dominations. The food habits of Indians continued to be as it was at the time of the Dravidians under the Aryans. The basic food remained Rice, Dal, Chapati, vegetables for vegetarians and chicken or meat for non-vegeterians.

Gradually, Indians started growing their own Indian Rice and it replaced imported rice very well. Towards the 300 BC there was a marked change of food habits from non-vegetarian to vegetarian as more and more people relinquished eating meat and sacrifice of animals became much less. The height of the movement came in around 650 AD during the Gupta period when Hindus started worshipping mother Goddess and stopped eating beef.