Agra is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It lies on the banks of the Yamuna River. It has about 1,400,000 inhabitants. It was founded in 1566 by Sultan Akbar. The famous Taj Mahal is the main artistic treasure of the city.

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Home to the Taj Mahal and other historic buildings, Agra is worth a visit to India.

The reason? Taj Mahal It is in this city that is the largest monument to love in the world.

Agra is not a beautiful city. The pollution is such that acid rain is ruining the marble of its greatest attraction. Most tourists make day trips and leave. But The Taj and the other (few) options of the city ensure the visit is worth it. The area around the Taj Mahal serves tourists well, with hotels, restaurants, internet and telephone services. Some attractions are far from the city, but access is easy.

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Story
The spicy curries served in Agra are seasoned by the Indian-Islamic Mughal Empire that dominated the Indian subcontinent between the 16th and 18th centuries. And it wasn't just nuts and yogurt that the Persians left in the region, Agra's famous white marble mausoleum was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Characteristics

The Mughals have mixed their Middle Eastern cuisine with dried fruits and nuts and added a plethora of local aromatic spices. Meals in Agra and the region are shared, with creamy and often highly seasoned curry placed on the table for everyone to enjoy.

Types

Tandoor oven-roasted marinated meat has Mughal origins, as does Korma, a sauce made from various spices mixed with yogurt and cream. The korma is rich and full of flavor and with lots of onion. The biryani also of Persian origin,
It is a dry rice dish combined with nuts and spices, eggs and meat.

Desserts

Halwa (from Arabic halw means sweet) is a ground dessert made from fruits, grains and even lentils. Most northern Indian halwa are made with semolina and ghee and are topped by pistachios or cashews. Naan bread, flat bread, is also of Persian origin.

 Ingredients

Local Indian spices include cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric and ground pepper, while Muslim influences have brought nuts, apricots, curry leaves, chilli pepper, turmeric, mustard seeds, tamarind, yogurt, sour cream and coconut milk. . A Mughlai and South Indian curry sauce always involves garlic and ginger.

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Agra's climate is tropical monsoon, with rainy summers and dry winters.

Summer is the only rainy season in the city, all other seasons are dry, this is because at this time of year the city is influenced by monsoons, which operate in the city since the beginning of July and lasts until the beginning of September. Rain is often heavy and can cause flooding in lower parts of the city. In late summer there is a drastic reduction in the volume of rainfall, unlike the regions of non-mononic tropical climate (South and Central America), where rainfall decreases slowly.

Autumn is dry from start to finish, rainfall is rare and when it rains it rains lightly. There is also a slight increase in the average maximum temperatures in October, but soon thereafter decreases in November. There is also a large reduction in minimum temperatures.

Winter is another dry season, with January being the coldest in the city, with an average of 15 ° C. On very cold days, light frost may occur. But this cold lasts very little, in March, for example, the average temperature is already 24 ° C, very hot in the afternoon.

Spring is the hottest season in the city, due to its closer proximity to the sun and the lack of monsoons, which decrease the temperature in summer. There is also a very high temperature rise between February and May, the temperature rises on average 16 ° C between these months. The first half of June is the hottest time in town, after which the monsoons relieve the temperature.

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