South Indian Food

"The joys of the table belong equally to all ages, conditions, countries and times; they mix with all other pleasures, and remain the last to console us for their loss." This is a quote by Jean Antheleme Brillet-Savarin but the joy this quote echoes can truly be experienced by savouring the delicious and healthy cuisine of South India. The delicacies of the Southern part of India are famous all over India and? even tantalize the taste buds of the tourists. South India produces variety of spices such as nutmeg, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon and cloves which are an integral part of their dishes. South Indians are very fond of rice which is the staple food of the region. All the states of South India have some kind of similarity in their respective cuisines. Some of the common ingredients of their cuisine are rice, lentils, dried red chillies, fresh green chillies, coconut, native fruits and vegetables such as curry leaves, snake gourd, ginger, garlic and tamarind. Less use of spice is preferred by the people here. They mostly use coconut oil in the preparation of food. The meals of South Indians usually consisting of rice, uttapam, idly, bonda, vada, dosa served with sambhar(dal) or rasam (tamarind dal). All the states of South India have their own unique way of preparation imparting different tastes to the food.are? coconut milk and coffee. The food in South India is served on fresh banana leaf.

In Karnataka, people are more inclined towards vegetarian food and mild use of spices. They use palm sugar or brown sugar in moderate amount. Some of the famous delicacies of the state are Bisi bele bath, Ragi rotti, Akki rotti, saaru, Khara bath, Vangi bath, Dosa, Uppittu. These dishes belong to the Udupi cuisine which occupies a special place in the kitchens of Karnataka. Idly, Mysore Masala Dosa and Maddur Vade are mainly relished in the southern part of the state. Head for Coorg district if you want to savour spicy Pork curries. Move to the coastal regions for tasty sea food. Hearty meals can be followed by sweet dishes such as Mysore pak, Dharwad pedha and Pheni chiroti.

Kerala is famous for its fresh coconuts and is also a major centre of South India which exports coconuts. Most of its preparations involve the use of coconut in some way or the other. A great variety of Vegetarian and Non vegetarian food is available here. Vegetarian includes typical Dosa? with Sambhar and coconut chutney, Olan, Paalpradaman, Nendarangai chips and Aviyal,whereas the non-vegetarian dishes are Shrimp coconut curry and Fish poriyal.

Here you can relish mouth watering vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes.Vegetarian: Dosa, idly, vadai, rasam, sambhar, thayir sadam(yoghurt rice), thayir vadai(yoghurt-soaked fritters),kootu prepared from vegetable with lots of liquid, poriyal(dry vegetable), uttapam, papadamthayir pachidi(raw vegetables mixed with yoghurt) and murukku. Noodle like dishes are also available.
Non vegetarian: Karuvadu kozhumu (dried preserved fish flavoured curry), chicken 65 and chettinad pepper chicken.

The cuisine is highly influenced by the French as they ruled here for a long time. They don't use much oil in their preparations. Apart from the typical South Indian dishes, here you will get Italian salads, French food, Chinese and north Indian food.Coconut curry, tandori potato, soya dosa, curried vegetables, stuffed cabbage and Italian baked beans prepared here are really very tasty

Once you are done with your meal, Palpayasam(sweet milk) is offered as a desert. Another option available is paan(betel leaf).