Like
all other South Indian states, Tamil Nadu is also known for a wide
variety of delicious food both for the vegetarians as well as the
non-vegetarians. Grains, lentils, rice and vegetables are the main
ingredients of the traditional foods of Tamil Nadu. Spices add flavor
and give a distinctive taste to the Tamil cuisines. Some of the most
common and popular dishes of the region are idly, dosai, vada, pongal
and Uppuma. Coconut chutney and sambhar invariably form a part of most
of the Tamil dishes. The typical Tamil breakfast includes dosai, which is a pancake made from a batter of rice, idly (steamed rice cakes) and lentils (crisp fried on a pan), vada (deep fried doughnuts prepared from a batter of lentils), pongal (a mash of rice and lentils boiled together and seasoned with cashew nuts, ghee, pepper and cummin seed), uppuma (cooked semolina seasoned in oil with mustard, pepper, cummin seed and dry lentils). These are the main local dishes but there are several variations that are eaten with coconut chutney and mulaga podi.
For lunch and the main course, the food consists of boiled rice, which is served with an assortment of vegetable dishes, sambar, chutneys, rasam (a hot broth prepared from tamarind juice and pepper) and curd. On the other hand, the non-vegetarian lunch and dinner include curries and dishes cooked with chicken, mutton or fish. Crispy Papad/Papar and appalam form an important part of a typical Tamil meal.
Filter coffee is a famous and popular beverage of the people of Tamil Nadu in general and Chennai in particular. It is interesting to note that making of filter coffee is like a ritual as the coffee beans are first roasted and then powdered. After the grinding work is over, the powder is put into a filter set and then boiling water is added to prepare the decoction, which is allowed to set for about 15-18 minutes. The decoction is ready and can be added to milk with sugar according to taste. The coffee is poured from one container to another in quick succession so that the ideal frothy cup of filter coffee is ready.
Chettinad Cuisine
Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and most aromatic in India. The name Chettinad cuisine comes from the place of its origin, Chettinad. Chettinad cuisine and delicacy is a specialty of Tamil Nadu and is a delight for non-vegetarian food lovers. The Chettinad cuisine consists of several variations of mutton, fish, and chicken items. The Chettinad Pepper Chicken is a specialty of all the non-vegetarian dishes. Dishes like biryani and paya are popular Tamil style of Mughali food. Paya is a type of spiced trotters broth and is usually eaten with either parathas or appam.
