Indian street food? Dig in!

Besides city sights and discovering new places, travelling is all about the food for a lot of people. Especially when it comes to travelling to countries with rich gastronomic cultures like Italy, France, Mexico and India. If you want to really get a feel for what the locals eat than taking to the streets is the best advice. Street food in every shape and form is the middle-man's food. To and from, locals on the go opt for street food and in India in particular it's a great way to taste a lot of flavours really cheaply but BEWARE if you dig in too quick, you might spend more time than you wish with a certain ceramic bowl.

7 tips for eating Indian street food:

1. Give yourself time, at least a few days, to adjust to the local flavours. This is true especially if you're not used to spicy foods.
2. Follow the crowd, if the locals are avoiding a certain vendor then you should too. Don't go there just because there is no line. Look at the people in the crowd as well, look for vendors that are surrounded by families.
3. Check out how the vendor cleans his utensils and where. Also, look at how the food is covered. If he is using oil, check that its clean. If there are plenty of flies about or food scraps laying around... retreat!
4. Don't worry if you order deep fried food and the vendor throws it back into the oil. It's common that foods like this are only half-cooked and then finished off when ordered. THe hot oil also kills any germs that may have appeared.
5. Avoid the meat (unless the place has a good reputation and is constantly busy).
6. At juice stalls, be cautious. The hygiene standards vary widely. Make sure the juice is pressed right in front of you... not taken from a jug or served in a glass.
7. Sliced fruit? Forget it. Don't be tempted because the fruit only keeps its lustre with a regular sprinkling of water which may not be up to drinking standards.

Eating out in the streets with the locals is just one of the joys of travelling through India. Mumbai in particular has a rich gastronomy scene that shouldn't be overlooked. For hearty dishes head south to Fort and Colaba where you can find richly-spiced tandoors and seafood or vegetarian thalis. You don't have to go to Hollywood to dine with the stars, you just need cheap flights to Mumbai and you can spot Bollywood starts at any of the glamorous restaurants in the north. When it comes to eating out, Mumbai locals don't usually go out until 9pm, that's when the streets really come alive and the grills are hot at the vendor stands. So what are you waiting for? Dig in!