North India is not one cuisine, nor is it one people. It is a vast landscape of plains, deserts, mountains and river valleys, shaped over centuries by migration, trade, kingdoms and empires.

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Food travelled with people. Wheat became a staple across much of the north, joined by rice, lentils, vegetables and dairy. The kitchens of Central Asian and Persianate courts brought new ingredients, techniques and ways of cooking—slow-cooked meats, the tandoor, rich gravies and dishes that would eventually evolve into the kebabs, kormas and biryanis we know today.

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And yet, much of North Indian food remains wonderfully everyday: a warm roti, a bowl of dal, seasonal sabzi, yoghurt or a little pickle at the side. Alongside these are stuffed breads, smoky kebabs, elaborate curries and countless regional dishes, each carrying a little of the place and people it came from.

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That is North Indian food: centuries of movement, meeting and adaptation, still being cooked at home today.