Tamil cuisine

Tamil cuisine, one of the oldest culinary heritages of the world^[1], is characterized by its aroma and flavor, achieved by a blend and combination of spices, including curry leaves, tamarind, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg, coconut, and even rosewater. Rice is an important constituent of Tamil cuisine, and there are a variety of rice preparations, and food items of rice are available for all the meals of the day. Lentils, too, are consumed extensively, as accompaniment of rice preparations, as also in the form of independent food preparations of lentils. Vegetables and dairy products too are essential accompaniments. Traditionally, vegetarian foods predominate the menu, including a variety of sweets and savories. There are a range of non-vegetarian dishes, including sweet water fish and seafood, cooked with traditional Tamil spices and seasoning.

Rice and legumes constitute the staple food of the Tamil people, and to quote Yamuna Devi, author of Lord Krishna's Cuisine, (Penguin Group): "in no other cuisine are rice and legumes used with such creativity" as in Tamil cuisine. Tamil vegetarian dishes are well balanced nutritionally and are a rich in carbohydrates and fiber while being low in fat.

Even today Tamil food is prepared in almost the same way as it was prepared centuries ago, and on special occasions served on banana leaves in a traditional style and ambience.

Commonly consumed items

Rice, the major staple food of most of the Tamil people, is usually steamed and served with about two to six accompanying items, which typically include sambar, dry curry, rasam, kootu and thayir (curd) or moru (whey or buttermilk). Lighter meals usually include one or more of pongal, dosa, idli or vada, and are often served for breakfast or as an evening snack. Coffee is a popular beverage. Another popular beverage is strongly brewed tea found in the thousands of small tea kadais across the state of Tamilnadu, and adjoining areas.

Regional variants

Over a period of time, each geographical area where Tamil people have been traditionally residing has its own distinct variant of the common dishes and also a few dishes native to itself. The Chettinad region comprising of Karaikudi and adjoining areas is known for both traditional vegetarian dishes like appam, uthappam, paal paniyaram and non-vegetarian dishes, made primarily using chicken. Chettinad cuisine is now popular even in non-Tamil speaking areas as well. Madurai and the other southern districts of Tamil Nadu are known for non-vegetarian food made of goat meat, chicken and fish. Parota made with maida, perhaps an adaptation of the north Indian Paratha, is also commonly eaten from food outlets in Tamil Nadu, more popularly in districts like Virudhunagar, Madurai and the adjoining areas. Parota is not commonly prepared at home as it is a laborious and time-consuming process.

Specialties

Dosa, crepes made from a fermented batter of rice and urad dal (gram), and is accompanied by Sambar; also see Masala dosa
Idli, steamed rice-cakes, prepared from a fermented batter of rice and urad dal (gram), and side-dishes are usually different kinds of chutney or sambhar
Upma/Uppittu, prepared from wheat (rava), onion, green chillies, and certain spices.
Sambhar, a thick stew of lentils with vegetables and seasoned with exotic spices
Rasam, lentil soup with pepper, coriander and cumin seeds
Thayir sadam, boiled rice with curd
South Indian Coffee, also known as Madras Filter Coffee is a sweet milky coffee popular in Tamil Nadu, somewhat like a cappuccino in the United States.

Tamil culinary terminology absorbed in English

The word curry is an anglicisation of the Tamil word kari.
The Tamil phrase milagu thanni, meaning pepper soup, literally pepper water, has been adapted in English as mulligatawny.
The word Mango sounds closely similar to the Tamil word Maanga or Maangaai.

Reference

DeWitt, Dave and Nancy Gerlach. 1990. The Whole Chile Pepper Book. Boston : Little Brown and Co.

External links