Cuisine from Tamil Nadu differs from region to region and also from different communities. From the spicy food of Chettinad to the popular breakfast (tiffin) items, dishes from Tamil Nadu find favor with people all over the country. Think South Indian cuisine and what comes to mind is fluffy hot idlis served with a variety of chutneys and sambar along with crisp vadas. Tamil cuisine is famous for its aromatic, appetizing and spicy food. The recipes use a special blend of spices that make for a tantalizing aroma and delicious taste.
The staple food of Tamilnadu is grains, pulses and vegetables but the exceptional part of the cuisine is the brilliant use of various spices. Tamilnadu cuisine is typified by the use of rice, legumes and lentils, its special fragrance, aroma, and taste is got by combining spices along with curry leaves, tamarind, coriander, ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cumin, nutmeg and coconut.Traditional meals are served on plantain leaves to the accompaniment of crisp appalams or pappadums. Try the fluffy parathas or idiyappam teamed with spicy kurma or mutton paya broth. Madurai and other southern districts of Tamilnadu have their own typical flavor, the parota especially kuthu parota is very famous in Madurai and Virudhunagar areas. The Chettinad region comprising of Karakudi and neighboring areas is popular for both vegetarian food like aapam, paal-paniyaram, uthappam, and non-vegetarian kuzhambus.
The western region of Tamilnadu known as the Kongu region offers special recipes like sandhavai/santhakai (rice noodles), kola urundai (meat balls) etc. One cannot mention Tamil Nadu cuisine and miss talking of aromatic filter coffee - served frothy and piping hot. The coffee bean is freshly roasted and ground into a fine powder. The powder is filled into a special coffee filter; boiling water is added to it. The filtered decoction is mixed with hot milk and sugar... kaapi is ready to drink.We bring you choicest recipes from Tamil Nadu. You can find simple recipes to make a tasty rasam or an aromatic biryani, vermicelli payasam or pepper chicken. Learn to make chutneys as accompaniment for various snacks, kolambus and kootus. In this section, we will also carry popular dishes from other parts of South India.
