And it goes way beyond Persian influence. vindaloo ~= Portuguese vinhalo (wine/vinegar flavored) Southeast asian ingredients introduced via trading empires ba

And it goes way beyond Persian influence. vindaloo ~= Portuguese vinhalo (wine/vinegar flavored) Southeast asian ingredients introduced via trading empires based in South India (i.e. nutmeg). Tomatoes, chilies, potatoes, all pre-Columbian American products introduced to India by the Portuguese. Tea (from China by way of the British) Coffee (introduced even earlier than tea via the Arab trading networks via Yemen during the Ottoman empire). Some things are actually bidirectional. Biryani, the Mughal/Persian rice dish emerged after rice was introduced to the middle east in ancient times, probably via India, and it came back in the form of Biryani.