Indian cuisine is simple, well balanced and uses ancient principles and recipes. Traditional medicine transcends in every composition. This means that a heavier dish is always tempered by an acidic base, a digestive ingredient in the form of tomatoes, vinegar or lemon. The mixed spices also play a very important role. The cuisine methods differs from region to region but also from family to family. Fruit has a different culinary meaning from that seen in the Western world. Figs, for example, are classified as a vegetable; mango and papaya are cooked as vegetables. Water chestnuts are crunched like candy and watermelon seeds are used as an excellent appetizer.