Northern Indian cuisine — which features some of the country's most elaborate dishes — was largely influenced by the Moghuls, who invaded India from the Middle East in the eighth century. In addition to red meat, the Moghuls enjoyed poultry, nuts, saffron and ghee. Over the centuries a distinctive cuisine, Mughlai, developed across India from a mixture of local, Persian and Asian cooking, differing by region in its use of spices and other ingredients. The Navratna — or nine diamonds — curry (assorted vegetables in a cashew gravy) is a classic example of one such dish from the state of Punjab.