Kerala, in the South of India, was once called the Land of Spices. Roman senators used to complain that Roman women used too much spice and silk imported from India which was draining Rome of its gold. The urge to acquire Indian spices was also one of the major reasons why European powers were so keen to find India.
Since spice is easily available and is plenty, it is used in most Indian food and so, Indian food was traditionally spicy. In India, rice is the staple diet of the people but wheat and other grains like pearl millet (bajra) and finger millet (ragi) are also popular.
India is also famous for is street food called chaats (a North Indian specialty). Pani puri, seev puri, dahi puri, ragda pure, bhel pure are some famous charts. Alcohol is easily available in India (except in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Gujarat, where there is prohibition) with many homegrown brands like Kingfisher, Knockout and Haywards.