Food

Earning fame across the globe for its simplistic cooking, flavorful meals South Indian cuisine is one of the most preferred cuisines all over India listing scrumptious dishes like paper thin but crisp Dosa, soft spongy Idlis, Indian style pancake with vegetables Uttapam and adding flavour to all these is the thin curry called Sambar. Full of robust flavours but subtle on tongue palette is what defines the South Indian Cuisine at its best. Ranging from sweet to sour and tangy, the cuisine has it all be it in their flavorful curries or crisp flat breads cooked using various techniques.

Majorly a rice producing and rice consuming area lentils and rice are a staple food for the people inhabited in this region of the country. Apart from rice a huge amount of cloves, cardamom, chillies, coconut are produced in the region making these an inevitable part of South Indian cuisine. The coastal regions and two huge ranges on the East and Western belt of South India makes it a green belt stretched to a long area. Finger millets commonly known as Ragi, is grown in large quantities in Karnataka state of South India. On the other hand other crops like Pearl Millet or Bajra and Sorghum is found in ample in the region. Telangana state in the region consumes Jowar and Bajra. The Brahmin community of the region is amongst the ones who consume rice in more common than any other thing grown in the region.

Where on the one hand the entire South Indian region consumes subtle flavour food Andhra Pradesh on the other hand consumes the spiciest cuisine with generous use of chilli and tamarind making the dishes cooked here spicy and tangy at the same time. Majority of the dishes have lentils and Vegetable as its base where as the other states of Southern India located near to the coastal belt consumes a large amount of fish in their diet. Infusion of seafood in Andhra cuisine is also a common phenomenon giving birth to the delicious delicacies like the famous Hyderabadi Biryani, Dum ka Mugh which is typical Hyderabad style cooked chicken, Eggplant cooked as Bhagaara Baigan, Achaari Sabzi which is peculiar to the region and adds a tangy flavour to the vegetables cooked to perfection.

When the entire world relishes pancakes made with regular flour people in South India prefer lentil based pancakes with lemon and tamarind rice making it a perfect combination for one to kick start the day with a healthy dose and robust flavours. The flavorful curries include carrots, cabbage, bottle gourd etc as an inevitable part mixed with lentils accompanied with a variety of pickles and chutneys making it divine indulgence for the vegetarian pals. On the other hand flavorful chicken gravy called Kodi Pulusu, fish Stew, prawn curry along with extensive range on sea food makes it a perfect meal for the people who wish to relish upon Non vegetarian stuff. The most important spices produced in South India are cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and pepper which contribute to make the curries flavorsome and authentic to what is relished upon in South Indian region.

The cuisine of South Indian region is diverse everything from famous traditional breakfast like spongy Idlis, crispy Dosas to lemon rice and Vada which has now become the traditional South Indian food describes the mildest use of spices resulting into some of the most flavorsome cuisine in the entire country. Use of Jaggery, sugar palm, chilli powder is a regular part of North Karnataka cuisine which is extremely hot making it an exception in the state of Karnataka. The state accommodates the highest number of vegetarians in the entire region making it predominantly a vegetarian state with people from all walks of life enjoying non vegetarian dishes as well.