Discover Taste of India: South Indian Food

The southern part of India has hot, humid climate and all its states are coastal. Rainfall is abundant and so is the supply of fresh fruit, vegetables and rice. The cuisine is mostly vegetarian, but innovative preparations of sea food can be found too. Famous for its wonderful mixing of rice and lentils to prepare lip smacking items, South Indian dishes are not just delicious, but also very easily to digest. In any city in our country, one can find a South Indian food outlet.

For someone who is not aware of the wide variety of the South Indian cuisine, the food from this region is all about

Dosas, Idlis, Vadas, Uttapams, Coconut Chutney, Rasam and Sambhar. Surprise awaits him in a South Indian menu card: the types of Dosas in theirselves have a number of variations!!

Some items characterize the South Indian platter: Shredded coconut, coconut oil, rice, daal, tamarind, curry leaves, dried chillis, mustard seeds, fenugreek, etc. But on a closer look, one would notice wide diversity across regions. The staple cereal of Karnataka is jowar and bajra. Majority of the residents are vegetarian, so is the cuisine. Curd is almost mandatory in every meal of Karnataka. While the preparations of Karnataka are in the Udupi style with gravies, drier preparations are more common in Kerala. Since coconut is the main produce of Kerala, use of the fruit in its natural form as well as derived forms is very popular. Also predominant is the consumption of sea food.

The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is spicier, with thicker gravies. Different types of pickles and chutneys are typical of this region. Bisi bele bhaat and the biriyani of Hyderabad cooked in the style of Nizams during the Mughal rule are famous all over India. Tamil Nadu is best described as a mix of all these regions. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas. Chettinad style of non vegetarian cooking is famous from this state. Also famous are different rices (tamarind rice, lemon rice, curd rice,etc), appams, papads, banana chips and the South Indian’s love for filter coffee.

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