Idli, dosa, vada, shambhar are few of the things that comes to our mind when we think of cuisine from southern part of India. But… that is not it, When we refer to cuisine from south of Indian, It comprises food from five states, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Cuisine from each of these states are different but yet they have some similarities.
South India is well known for its spices as few of the well-known spices are cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and pepper. Apart from this there are five varieties of coffee from South India too with GI (Geographical Indication) tag.
‘Cuisine of Andhra Pradesh’
The capital of Andhra Pradesh – Hyderabad is having its own distinctive cuisine known as Hyderabadi Cuisine. It is direct result from the kitchen of the Nizams. Hyderabadi cuisine is well-known for its biryanis & kebabs yet the Hyderabadi Haleem is awarded with GI tag and it was the first meat product of India to get GI tag too.
Hyderabad is one of the three major cities of India, where Dum Cooking is used. The famous Kacchi ghost biryani is from Hyderabad, another interesting dum cooked dish from Hyderabad is Dum ki batakh – where the duck is marinated with poppy seed paste, red chilli and brown onion paste, then sprinkled with powered spices such as mace, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves then it is poured with beaten curd, ghee and ittar then Dum cooked. While the cuisine from the rest of the state is hot and spicy compared to that of other states from this region because of generous use of chilli and tamarind. One of the most difficult dessert is from Andhra Pradesh which is Pootharekulu the dish consist of wafer-thin rice sheets brushed with ghee and sprinkled with powdered sugar. In traditional Telugu weddings the couple is feed this sweet by his bride.
‘Cuisine of Karnataka’
Cuisine from Karnataka is mainly vegetarian, each region of the state is having its own speciality – North Karnataka cuisine, South Karnataka cuisine, Kodagu, Udipi, Mangalorean & North Canara cuisine. The cuisine from North Karnataka is mainly vegetarian and the staple is rice and sorghum. There is a community from this region whose cuisine is also very popular, this is Navayath community and forms a separate cuisine. Basically Navayath is a community that is of Arab origin as Mutton, poultry, sea food, egg, rice and coconut are used extensively. The famous bhatkal biryani is gift from this community.
The staple food of South Karnataka is rice & ragi. Bise belle bath is a speciality of this region. Then comes the North Canara region, it is coastal region of Karnataka so use of seafood is more a typical meal from here will have rice and fish curry. Mangalore is a costal region too its cuisine is really diverse many different communities have been settled over here. Curry leaves, Coconut and local Spices form the basic ingredients of any dish over here. A speciality from this region is neer dosa, which is a dosa made without fermentation of rice.
Food from Kodagu region (Coorg) is spicy curries that are made with meat, chicken and pork. Rice is a staple food over here, a core ingredient of food from here is KACHAMPULI, it is a vinegar made up of gummi-gutta fruit.
Udipi Cuisine emphasizes on use of local fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Food is vegetarian and use of jaggery, rice and coconut is prominent.
‘Cuisine of Tamil Nadu’
The Tamil Cuisine follows the philosophy of Ayurveda and believes that food should cater to all the six varieties of tastes – namely bitter, sweet, salty, astringent and pungent. Tamil Nadu is also called “the rice bowl of India”. Parboiled rice is commonly eaten over here and the most common lentil used over here is Toor dal also called as Arhar dal. Chana dal and Urad dal is also used over here but they are mainly used in tempering and in combination of rice to make Idli and Dosa. Coconut and sea food are also used extensively due to availability of the same on the sea coast.
Tamarind is also used to add tangy flavor and sourness to the food. Breakfast and afternoon snacks are commonly called as Tiffin and include dosa, vada, idli and pongal accompanied by shambhar and coconut chutney. There is really interesting concept about the restaurants, those restaurants that serve only vegetarian food is called as Brahmin restaurant and those who serve non vegetarian food is called as Military restaurant. There is a community in Tamil Nadu whose food is also very popular and this community is Chettinad community and their cuisine is called as Chettinad cuisine. The Chettinad community is from Sivaganga district which is located at southern part of Tamil Nadu. Apart from this Tamil Muslim Cuisine and Tamil Brahmin cuisine is also very popular. Muslim cuisine also has a significant influence in form of payas & khushka which is lamb biryani. Tamil Brahmin cuisine is purely vegetarian and refrain from using onion and garlic in their food. The food here is less spicy and soothing for body system. A typical traditional meal from Tamil Nadu is called as Sapad which is served on banana leaf known as Vahaillai. The arrangement of food is so typical to a community that by seeing the arrangement of food, one can tell which community it belongs to. Tamil Nadu is also famous for its Filter Coffee which is also known as ‘meter capee’ as it is poured from a small steel glass into a bowl and vice versa from a distance of almost one meter to make coffee frothy.
‘Cuisine of Kerala’
Kerala is also known as “god’s own country”. Kerala is home for Malayali Christians, the Nambudiri Brahmins, Kerala Hindu and the Moplahs. Each of them is having different cuisine. Kerala is a land of coconuts, so coconut oil is a preferred choice over here. Rice is a staple diet, whole wheat is hardly used. Parboiled rice is mostly consumed which is more nutritive and tastier, another kind of rice is red rice or Carmague rice is also commonly eaten. Tamarind is also available in abundance, many kinds pickle and achars of mango known as manga are common to Kerala. Uppu manga is a mango pickle made by salting small mangoes. The abundance of bananas is used to make famous banana chips also known as Kerala chips. The Christian cuisine is known as Syrian Christian cuisine, cuisine of Muslims as Mophal cuisine, Mophal cuisine includes lots of meat & sea food. One very interesting dish of this cuisine is Muttamala made during Ramadan months and weddings. This is an egg based dessert, yolks are separated whisked and passed through muslin cloth and then this egg yolk mixture is poured into hot sugar syrup in circular motion through a coconut shell that has hole in it.
On the other hand, Cuisine of Nambudiris are strict vegetarian. Onions and Garlic do not find place in their food. Traditionally the temples of Kerala used to serve food to all the devotees, and the Nambudiris used to cook food and thus the famous sadhya meal has evolved. Serving a sadhya has very strict rule as the food is served on a plantain leaf, The narrow tip of the leaf should face left and service should start from the bottom left.
This was just a brief about the Southern India’s cuisine yet there is more to discover.
There is always something more that India has to offer.
By,
Mr. Prajwal Soni.
Guest Contributor – Hospitality Connaisseur.
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