Friday, July 30, 2010

Delicious South Indian Cuisine

Foods have always been a great ingredient of any culture. The richness of the food tells a lot about history and sumptuousness of a particular culture and that’s why south Indian cuisine so effectively reflects the glorious tradition of southern India. You will find variety of food items in southern part of the country. Some of the most famous south Indian dishes are vadas, idli, dosas and uttapams etc. All these items are light and low calories in nature. The traditional food of South India is mainly rice based. The cuisine is lip smacking and delicious. Perfect for health, these dishes use very less oil for cooking and that makes them ideal foods for health and diet conscious people.

Most of the south Indian main course dishes have sambhar. Common components of South Indian dishes are sambhar, rasam, vegetable curry and pachadi (yogurt). Rice is lemon flavored and is commonly made of coconut. Rice items are usually made using coconut, curry leaves, urad dal, tamarind, peanuts, chilies, and fenugreek seeds.

One major difference between south India and north India cuisine is use of spices. South Indian dishes do not use much of dried spices except cardamom, black pepper and turmeric. The color, taste and flavor are just perfect for a foodie. South Indian dishes have significant nutritional value. Chutneys are an essential part of South Indian cuisine. Chutneys are prepared using coconut, peanuts, dal, tamarind, fenugreek seeds, and cilantro. South Indians also love to have coffee after having their meals.