It can be said that rice and the choice of spices define South Indian food. With plentiful rain, the plentiful availability of coconuts, tamarind, and spices including chillies, the food of the South region of India covering 5-6 states is special as much as it is varied. There is a prevalence of vegetarian food but don’t let that deter you because the non-vegetarian cuisine is equally divine.
There are many distinct cuisines like the Hyderabadi – famous for its biriyanis and mutton curries, the fiery hot Andhra cuisine, the Chettinad cuisine from Tamil Nadu, the Malabari for its rice cakes and coconut milk soaked vegetarian and meat-fish curries and more. One will never tire of trying out one different cuisine after the other, literally every district or region within each state has its own variety and style of cooking.
Compared to North Indian food, the South Indian cuisine normally chooses mustards over cumin seeds while flavoring their curries. Many of the lentil based curries like Sambar and Rasam (and their varieties) are common to the entire region. Every meal will have soup like curries that can be poured and mixed with rice. Then there will be the drier items which are a bit more fried and used as side-dishes. These are add-on items and are normally a combination of fresh vegetables. The taste-adders will include pickles, chutneys mainly coconut-based with a combination of tangy tamarinds. Deep-fried lentil-based flat round strips called pappadam or appalam are bland and are normally used as a taste-breaker to neutralize the taste of one set of food before enjoying the next.
Every state has its own distinctive style of breakfast items but the whole of South makes and enjoys all the items. So there is Vada, Idly, Dosa, Appam, Idiappam and more – usually rice based with a mix of lentils and mildly naturally fermented. These are enjoyed with a range of curries, chutneys and spiced powders mixed with oil. Some of the ingredients that can be seen almost throughout the cuisine of the South include fenugreek seeds, red and green chillies, asafetida, pepper and peppercorns, curry leaves, fresh coriander, tamarind, etc. These give the dishes their distinct taste and flavor.
