Tamilnadu Receipe

Vegetarian's paradise !

Tamil Nadu, true home of Indian vegetarianism, is the land of the delicious Pongal, Idli, Dosa, Sambar and Rasam. Tamilian's staple diet is steamed rice and most of their food consists of grains, lentils and vegetables. 'Sadhams' (rice dishes) with different flavour s are their specialty. Spices are added for most dishes to give a distinctive taste. Coconut, tamarind, asafeotida are a must for most vegetarian dishes. Desserts such as burfis and payasams are also popular.

Acknowledged cookery !

"Tamilian cookery has always had its own distinctive tradition, but to most non-Tamilians, only the stereotypes are distinguishable…the ubiquitous dosai, idlis, sambars and chutneys, without which southern cuisine would be incomplete. Few are aware of the rich repertoire of traditional Tamilian cookery, the non-vegetarian dishes, not heavily spiced, nor oily, but delightful in their variety and range, and their vegetarian counterparts".

"Beseiged by requests from young brides and not-so-young ones, to give them the nearly languished recipes from the Tamilian communities, Sabita Radhakrishna was inspired to write this book, and for a beginning, recorded her mother's traditional recipes, trying each one out in her kitchen and then standardising and refitting it to suit the contemporary woman with her modern gadgets. She presents in Aharam an invaluable record of authentic Tamilian food." (jacket)

Simple yet unique !

There is no one distinguished style of Tamilian cooking. And for those wanting to taste something different, there are some orthodox communities who prepare delicious food without using onion, garlic and some spices. The menu also magnifies according to the different festivals of the region. To get a sample of the tasty cuisine one can participate in the celebrations of Pongal also popularly known as Makar Sankranti, when the food prepared is delicious.