"Tamil cuisine is perhaps the oldest representative of the continuous vegetarian cultures of the world. The delicious dishes from the state are relished all over the country and abroad. The cuisine has important delicacies like dosa, idly and vada served with sambar and chutneys. There is a wide range of rice and vegetable preparations. The meals are traditionally served on banana leaves."
Breakfast
Breakfast or Tiffins include Idly (steamed rice cakes), Dosa (a pancake made from a batter of rice), Vada (deep fried doughnuts made from a batter of lentils), Pongal (a mish mash of rice and lentils boiled together and seasoned with ghee, cashew nuts, pepper and cummin seeds), and Upma (cooked semolina seasoned in oil with mustard, pepper, cummin seed and dry lentils). There are several variations of the dishes mentioned above which are eaten with Coconut Chutney, Sambar (seasoned lentil broth).
Traditional Tamil Meal
Tamilians are essentially rice-eating people and they have preparations made of rice for all the meals of the day. Lunch and dinner consist of cooked rice served with an array of vegetable dishes, sambhar, chutneys, rasam (a hot broth made with tamarind juice and pepper) and curd (yogurt). For the non-vegetarians, curries cooked with mutton, chicken, or fish are included. And Tamilian meals are incomplete without crisp papads or appalam.
SPECIALTIES
Chettinad Cuisine
Known for its spicy, hot fare, Chettinad cuisine hails from the deep southern region of Tamil Nadu. Chettinad cuisine is far cry from the bland cuisine of traditional Tamilian Brahmins-it is one of the spiciest, oiliest and most aromatic in India. Some of the popular dishes in Chettinad menu are varuval -- a dry dish fried with onions and spices (chicken, fish or vegetables sautéed), pepper chicken, poriyal -- a curry, and kuzambu which has the ingredients stewed in a gravy of coconut milk and spices.
The Tamil style of Mughali food can be savored in the biriyanis and paya. The later is a kind of spiced trotters broth and is eaten with either parathas or Appam. Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai, is famous for its filter coffee as most Tamils have a subtle contempt for instant coffee.
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