“ South India”

❖Introduction:- South India is the area including the five southern

Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana,
as well as the three union territories of Andaman and Nicobar islands,
Lakshadweep and Puducherry, occupying 19% of India's area (635,780 km2 or
245,480 sq mi).

➢ South India state

1. Andhra Pradesh
2. Karnataka
3. Kerala
4. Tamilnadu
5. Telangana

➢ Union territories
1. Andaman nikobar
2. Lakshadweep
3. Puducherry
 “South Indian cuisine”-
1. Telangana-

• History of cuisine-
Telangana cuisine is a food culture unique to Telangana region. The Telangana state lies on the Deccan
plateau and its topography dictates more millet and roti (unleavened bread) based
dishes. Jowar and Bajra features more prominently in their cuisine. Due to its proximity
with Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and northwest Karnataka, it shares some similarities and differences of the
Deccan plateau cuisine.[1]

Style of cooking-

There are many styles of cooking in Telangana. In the villages, people still employ the traditional
methods in cooking. This includes wood-fired and masonry ovens

Ingredients-
The locally found ingredients are mainstay in the cuisine. Fresh vegetables like tomatoes, brinjal,
bitter gourd, pulses, tamarind play a big role in the vegetarian dishes. The dishes based on goat and
lamb are preferred over chicken in the dishes. As the region does not have a coast, only fresh water
fish like korra matta is occasionally prepared

Vegetarian food-

Pachi Pulusu
 Various types of Lentils (Pappulu) and millets for sale in market

In Telangana regions Tamarind, red chilies(koraivikaram) and Asafoetida are predominantly used
in Telangana cooking. Roselle is a major staple used extensively in curries and pickles. [4]
• Sarva pindi, a spicy pancake, is a staple breakfast, made with rice flour, chana dal, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds,
curry leaves and green chiles.[5]
• Puntikura Chana Dal: A vegetarian alternative to 'Gongura Ghosht', chana dal is cooked in spices and tempered
with mustard and curry leaves.
• Bachali Kura: A tangy spinach curry cooked with tamarind paste.
• Pachi Pulusu: A spicy, raw rasam made with tamarind, chili and onions. Prepared mainly in Summer.
• Pappu chaaru
• Sorakaya koora
• Aloogadda kurma
• Sorakaya
• Dosakaya - Dosakaya Pappu, Doasaya Thokku
• Bagara annam
• Kattu Chaaru

Sweets, Snacks & Savories-

Sugar madugulu is a sweet made with milk and butter with sugar coating, and pharda pheni' is
another sugar-coated crispy wafer sweet. Boondi laddu and Ravva laddu are popular sweets.
Saboodana kheer with poori is also a popular sweet.

Recent years has seen a resurgence of Telangana cuisines in restaurants around Hyderabad with the
availability of Telangana thali dish for lunch. [6]

Culture of Telangana
•
The Indian state of Telangana has a cultural history of about 5,000 years. The region emerged as the
foremost centre of culture in Indian subcontinentduring the rule of Hindu Kakatiya dynasty and
the Muslim Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi dynasties— (also known as the Nizams of Hyderabad). The rulers'
patronage and interest for arts and culture transformed Telangana into a unique multi-cultural region where
two different cultures.

Traditional Dresses of Telangana

Famous dish-
1. Sakinalu

Sakinalu is a famous snack in Telangana which is especially eaten during the festival of
Sankranthi. It is a spiral savoury snack and is made from rice flour, carom seeds and
sesame seeds. It looks and tastes slightly like the famous Tamilian snack murukku.
2. Pulusu
Pulusu is essentially a cross between a soup, stew and vegetable stock. It’s served with
rice in every household as one of the mains. Typically, this dish is prepared with
tamarind and has varieties like Chapala Pulusu, Pachi Pulusu, Vankaya Pulusu and
even Natu Kodi Pulusu which is made with chicken.
3. Hyderabadi Biryani

Since Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana, we cannot skip the mainstay of

Hyderabadi cuisine. The special Hyderabadi biryani is different from Awadhi
or Calcutta biryaniand is made in two styles—kachchi and pakki. In kachchi biryani the
meat is cooked with the biryani while in pakki biryani, the entire thing is cooked
separately and cooked together again.
4. Haleem
Another dish from the Hyderabadi repository that is incredibly popular in the
city. Haleem is a type of stew that consists of meat, lentils and pounded wheat, which is
cooked on slow heat for several hours. It’s a special dish that you can find around the
streets during Ramadhan.
5. Gongura Chutney

Gongura is one of the most common ingredients used in the famous Telangana dishes.
In English, these leaves are known are sorrel leaves and have a wonderfully intense and
unique flavour. We especially love the chutney that is made from gongura leaves, which
is best had with rice and a bit of ghee or til oil.

Traditional Dresses of Telangana

Telangana is famous for its weaving and dying techniques because its cotton
producing units are world famous. The most common apparel worn by women is
saree along with langa voni, salwar kameez and churidar. The famous sarees
made in Telangana include Pochampally Saree and Gadwal saree. Bhoodan
Pochampally, a Mandal in Nalgonda District, is known for its Ikat style of sarees
and material. Pochampally weave is commonly called ikkat or tie and dye weave.
Male clothing includes the traditional Dhoti which is also known as Pancha. The
Hyderabadi Sherwani used to be the dress of choice of the Nizam of Hyderabad
and Hyderabadi nobles. Sherwani is usually worn by the groom during the
wedding ceremonies.
 ❖ Tamilnadu-
Festivals of Tamil
Tamil Nadu is known for its magnificent festivals, outlined with
rangolis, bright silks, flowers, temples
celebrations and of course lots of festival food ! Here are 7
festivals of Tamil Nadu you can plan your
visits around!
1. Pongal
This is the most important Harvest festivalcelebrated by the

people of Tamil Nadu. It lasts for a period of

4 days and is normally celebrated on the 13th of January till the
16th.
This festival is actually mainly celebrated to thank or show
appreciation to the Sun God for giving energy
towards agriculture. The people boil the first rice of the season
as a tribute to the Sun God. Pongal is
also the name of a dish that is very famous in the South and is
cooked for most of the festivals there.
One month before the festival the females of the houses make
patterns at the entrance of the houses
known as Kolam with rice and colored powder. This month is
called Margali and houses are
whitewashed and kept ready for Pongal.
The first day is known as Bhogi and is mainly to honour Lord
Indra who provides the farmers with rain.
Also on this day, people get rid of something old and get
something new as a sign of a new beginning. At
dawn all that was gotten rid of is burnt in the bonfire.
The houses are all decorated for the forthcoming day, the horns
of the buffaloes are painted. Sugar cane
is an important crop on this day at least that’s what I remember
because I used to be so excited each
year in the hostel for the sugarcanes that our friends would
bring for us.
2. Tamil New Year’s Day
Also known as Puthandu, the Tamil New year falls in mid April,
the first month of the Tamil Calendar.
The morning of Puthandu is marked as Women make beautiful
Kolams at the entrance of their houseIn this month, you can
also see the mangoes hanging from the Mango trees and the
flowers on the
Neem tree bloomed. The people celebrate this day with these
two items to show prosperity. People
spend the day looking at things like Gold, Betel leaves, nuts,
fruits etc. A bath and then a visit to temple
Kanni is very important.
On this day people wear new clothes and eat delicious food
sweet and sour dish made with mangoes, Jaggery and Neem
flowers.
3. Natyanjali Dance Festival
‘Natya’ means dance and ‘Anjali’ means offering. This is the day
where dancers offer their Dance as
tribute to the one and only Lord Nataraja. This festival is a day
best celebrated in the Nataraja
temple,Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.
It is a day when almost 300-400 dancers from all over India
bring out their uniqueness onto one floor
like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Kathak etc.
It is celebrated either in the month of February or March. It is
five day long festival normally beginning
on the day of Maha Shivratri. The dancers are all dressed up in
their traditional outfits representing their
rich and diverse culture.The festival spreads its main message of
‘Unity in Diversity’ by bringing together
diverse dancers together for one cause.
4. Thaipusam
This festival is celebrated in Tamil Nadu on a full moon day in
the month of Thai in the Tamil calendar. It
celebrates the Birthday of Lord Subramaniam, the younger son
of Lord Shiva. This is the day when
people with utmost faith make and keep their vows. They pray
to the Lord for help and once grant.
Music & Dance
• Tamil Music has evolved over the years. The
most important form of music was the Carnatic
music
• which considered only for the elite who could
understand the intricacy of mus hiic. For others,
Telugu
songs and a mix of traditional numbers from a source of
entertainment.
Bharatnatyam is the official dance form of Tamil Nadu,
recognized all over India and the world. It's a
complicated dance form with subtle moves of body parts
and expressions. Some other folk dances like
Parai, Villuputtu Karakaatam, and Kuthu are also performed
by local people including tribal people.
Tamil Cuisine
• If you imagine 'South Indian Food', first things which
pop in mind Idli, Dosa, Sambhar, Vada, Upma and
what not. It's a typical Madrasi Food for North Indians.
Tamil Food is popular in both vegetarian and
non-vegetarian contexts. Otherwise, rice, lentils, grains and
vegetables from the main ingredients .
Culture And Traditions Of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is a southern state of India which is supremely
rich in culture and heritage. Known to be one
of the oldest civilisations in the world, the people of Tamil
Nadu belong to the prestigious Dravidian
Kerala

Kerala Culture & Heritage

The culture and heritage of Kerala are one that everyone must
experience. The culture of Kerala is a combination of both
Indian and Dravidian culture. Nowadays this culture is being
influenced by the neighbouring states as well. The main USP of
Kerala is its performing arts like Kathakali, Mohiniyattam and
Martial Art of Kalaripayattu. As for the heritage of Kerala, it can
be said that this heritage holds a special and important place in
the Indian history. Providing a national integrity is the Kerala
Heritage.
This culture and heritage of Kerala are reflected in its various art
forms, martial arts, dresses, the people and cuisine. When in
Kerala do not miss a cultural art performance. The visitors can
enjoy the following art performances in Kerala.

Fativals of Kerala
1-Onam
A 10-day long festival, Onam is a well renowned Hindu festival
that is celebrated with huge devotions. The striking feature of
this festival is that it involves Kathakali dance, indoor and
outdoor games, boat races and several featuring songs. Onam
has been celebrated to mark the homecoming of King Mahabali,
who used to rule Kerala during the ancient period. The period of
King Mahabali was said to be a golden era of Kerala, where
people lived happily with love, harmony, and prosperity.

Time of Celebration of Onam: This festival is celebrated

between the month ofAugust and September and is also known
as harvest festival of Kerala.
Major Attractions of Onam: Tiger Play, Flower Rangoli, Thumbi
Thullal and Onasadya are the major attractions to enjoy while
enjoying this 10-day colorful festival.
Weather Condition: This frolic festival of 10 days is mostly
celebrated in the period of monsoon where tourists, along with
the colours of the festival, can also enjoy the frizzy rains of
Kerala.
2-Vishu
This is one of the most important festivals of Kerala and is said
to be the New Year for the Malayali people, based on the
ancient (astrological) Malayalam calendar.

Time of Celebration: This festival is celebrated in month of April

Major Attractions: Malayali begin this day by looking to “Kani-
Kanal” which is prepared previous night and offered to
garlanded deity of Krishna. The festival’s major attractions are
the firecrackers, payasam and Vishu kanji.
Weather Condition: Being a harvest festival, Vishu brings along
pleasant weather Condition
3-Thrissur Pooram
Thrissur Pooram is one of the famous temple festivals in Kerala
and has been celebrated for more than 200 years. This festival is
celebrated at the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur yearly
and is celebrated for almost 36 hours with traditional puja,
ending with extreme fireworks. The festival is celebrated to
worship Lord Shiva and involves color, music, and religion.

Time of Celebration: This festival is celebrated in April

Major Attractions: The major attraction of this festival is
enthralling sights of more than fifty clad of elephants passing
through the streets of Thrissur at the sound of beating drums.
Weather Condition: Temperature remains in low 20s during the
time of this festival in Kerala.
4-Theyyam Festival

Theyyam is an800 year old festival where you can visualize

more than 400 types of cultural dances, performed by peopled
dressed as deities. The performer goes through three stages of
learning: the first stage is of adorning themselves with colors,
flowers, and mask; the second stage involves self-torture and
the third stage is all about dancing on a rhythm. This festival is
celebrated with huge fun which brings the new level of pleasure
in the life of the attendees.
 ➢ Kerala cuisine
God;s Own Country, Kerala seems to live up to the exquisite
title that has been given to it as it takes you on a gastronomical
journey of mind-boggling food items which are so tasty that
they appear to be right out of 'God's Own Kitchen'! Surrounded
by the sea, Kerala is home to numerous lip-smacking dishes
prepared out of seafood, some of which include mussels, crab,
tiger prawns, king prawns, tiny prawns, oysters, sardines,
mackerel, tuna and gorgeous red lobsters. One just cannot stop
salivating when walking the streets of Kerala. Unlike its
neighbours, Kerala takes a lot of pride in its long list of non-
vegetarian food that the state has to offer to its perpetually
hungry tourists! I am not taking any sides here, but Kerala food
includes everything ? chicken, mutton, beef, fish, pork and the
thrilling variety of seafood as already mentioned. So let's begin
the herculean task of listing down some of its greatest Kerala
food dishes.
Religion of Kerala

Kerala Religion
Kerala hailed, as Gods own country, by many, deserves this
accolade because of many features geographical and
sociological. A long coastline in the west and mountains on the
east form clear natural boundaries. Besides, nature is at its
cleanest best here.Religion has played a crucial role in Keralas
culture. There are mainly three religions in Kerala - Hinduism,
Christianity and Islam.

As far as the religion of Kerala is concerned, the origins could be

traced to Hinduism.Then came in the Islamic faith and
Christianity with their various sects. The other Indian religions
like Buddhism and Jainism had some influence among the
Hindus and were found scattered, with their migration to
Kerala.

According to the 1991 census 57.38% of the population of

Kerala are Hindus, 23.33 Muslims and 19.32 Christians. The
earliest settlers of Kerala were the Proto-Australoids, the
Mediterraneans, the Dravidians, and the Aryans in 321-297 BC.

Hinduism, the worlds oldest religion dates back to about 5000

BC. Islam is said to have entered into Kerala through
commercial trading between Kerala and Middle East during 7th
century AD.The Syrian Christians of Kerala believe that St.
Thomas,the apostle landed in the state in 52 AD and established
Christianity.
❖Andhrapradesh
History
Andhra Pradesh is one of the 29 states of India whose recorded
history begins in the Vedic period. It
is mentioned in Sanskrit epics such as Aitareya Brahmana. The
Assaka Mahajanapada was an
ancient kingdom located between the Godavari and Krishna
Rivers in southeastern India.
Famous cuisine
1. Pulihora

An exotic version of tamarind rice, also known as Chitrannam, is

enriched with spicy flavours
to give it a sour and salty taste at the same time. One of the
main ingredients is tamarind along
with curry leaves, tomatoes, and mustard seeds. Pulihora finds
its place in kitchens often
during festivities and special gatherings. Try the authentic
tamarind rice to get a taste of real
Andhra cuisine
2. Chepa Pulusu
A variety of fish curry, popularly known as Chepa Pulusu in the
state of Andhra is a hot piquant

3. Gongura Pickle Ambadi

If you love the tangy taste of every pickle then you must try this
fiery spicy pickle made
with Ambadi leaves, otherwise known as Sorrel leaves. This
tasty pickle-chutney hybrid
is widely prepared in Andhra as well as in the state of
Maharashtra. Well-blended with
a variety of spices, this special Andhra dish can be served with
flavoured rice or a pair
of hot chapatis.
4. Pesarattu
Pesarattu is prepared often for breakfasts in Andhra and regions
nearby. The yummy
dosa made with green moong dal is a zesty Dosa variant, loved
by everyone in the state.
The moong dal Dosa is served commonly with coconut chutney
or chilli-tomato chutney.
Visit one of the authentic Andhra food corners to get a
taste of the native Pesarattu
The famous festivals of Andherprdesh
Pongal
It is one of the most famous festivals of the state which is
celebrated in the month of January every
year. It is a harvest festival in which gratitude is offered to God,
cattle and Mother Nature for their
help in the growth of crops. The four day long celebration of
Pongal consists of Bhogi Pongal, Surya
Pongal, Mttu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. Sweet rice called
‘Pongal’ is cooked on the festival
Ugadi
This festival is the celebration of Telugu New Year. It falls in the
month of April-May. The people wear
new clothes, decorate their houses and make sweets on this
day. Purampoli or Bhakshya is the special
sweet made on this day. People also make festoons with mango
leaves (called Torana) and hang them
on the doors of the house
Ganesha or Vinayak Chaturthi
This is a wonderful festival honoring the birthday of Lord
Ganesha. Stretching for ten days, the festival
is marked by worshipping the Ganesha with flowers, fruits,
leaves, sandal paste, corns, vermilion,
payasam, rice milk porridge (kheer), etc. It is celebrated in the
month of August/September. The
culmination of the festival is marked by the immersion of the
idol of Ganesh in the lake
Deccan Festival
It is a five-day long festival celebrated at Qutub Shahi Tombs in
Hyderabad on Second Friday, Saturday
and Sunday of April every year. It is dedicated to Hyderabad’s
arts, crafts, cuisine and culture. During
the festival a food and handicrafts fair is also held.
Culture of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh, also known as the Rice Bowl of India is like a
melting pot of varied
cultures. It is a region which has been governed by different
dynasties and empires. This
diverse exposure to the cultures and traditions of the empires
has had an indelible influence
in forming the Culture of Andhra Pradesh. The conglomeration
of many cultures has formed

The End-
Thanks for reading about south indian cuisine…