A typical Tamil meal
consists of many spicy and non-spicy dishes. Except for Brahmins and a couple
of non-Brahmin castes, Tamils eat more non-vegetarian food. However, on a
typical day, a Tamil family will eat mostly vegetarian food, and the intake of
meat is much lower compared to Western countries. Many of these dishes are
typically mixed and eaten with steamed rice, which is the staple food of the
region.
Tamil cuisine groups
dishes under five slightly overlapping categories.
Gravy dishes to be mixed
in rice
First are the dishes
that necessarily are mixed with rice. The sub-categories under this head are: Kuzhambu,
Sambhar, Paripu, Rasam, Thayir, and Kadaiyals. There is a great variety of
dishes under each sub-category. For example, under "Kuzhambu", common
dishes include Kaara Kuzhambu, Poondu Kuzhambu, Vaththal Kuzhambu, Payarruk
Kuzhambu, Mor Kuzhambu.
Accompaniments
Foods in the second
category are the side dishes that accompany such mixtures, including Kootu, Kari,
Poriyal, Pickles in India and Pakistan, and Papadum.
Standalone snacks
In the third category
are the short snacks and their accompaniments, including Vadai, Bonda, Bajji, Soups,
various chutneys, and Thayir Pachadi.
Dessert
The fourth category
encompasses the rich, sweet dishes that serve as desserts, including Payasam, Kheer,
Kesari Bhath and a plethora of other Indian sweets.
Fast foods, or light
meals
The fifth category
includes "Tiffin," or light meals, which includes various types of Idlis,
Dosai, Poori, Pongal, Uppma, Idiyappam, Aappam, Adai, Parotta, and Paniyaram.
Preparations from the fifth category are served for breakfast and dinner, but
usually not as a midday meal.
Tamil cuisine offers
primarily light breakfast, lighter dinner, a heavy midday meal and evening
snacks, often served with tea or coffee. The Rasam is mixed with rice, usually
eaten accompanied by crisps. The last of the courses will invariably be rice
with curd or yogurt, usually taken along with pickles.
Throughout the meal, the
side dishes are served and eaten with the courses, depending upon one's taste
or choice. Side dishes are constantly replenished during any meal. Desserts are
served as a last course. After the meal, guests retire to the living room and
conclude with banana and freshly made Paan, consisting of betel leaves, betel
nuts and lime. Paan is considered a digestive aid.
Tamil non-vegetarian
meals are similar, except that the first and second courses are usually
replaced by various Biryanis and non-vegetarian gravies.
In either case, a
typical meal (lunch or dinner) will be served on a banana leaf. Meals are often
accompanied by various pickles and Appalams.
Food is generally
classified into six tastes–sweet, sour, salt, bitter, pungent and astringent.
Traditional Tamil cuisine recommends that one includes all of these six tastes
in each main meal eaten. Each taste has a balancing ability and including some
of each provides complete nutrition, minimises cravings and balances the
appetite and digestion.
- Sweet: Milk, Butter, Sweet Cream, Wheat, Ghee (clarified
Butter), Rice, and Honey
- Sour: Limes and Lemons, Citrus Fruits, Yogurt, Mango,
and Tamarind
- Salty: Salt or Pickles
- Bitter: Bitter Gourd, Greens of many kinds, Turmeric,
and Fenugreek
- Pungent: Chili Peppers, Ginger, Black Pepper, Clove,
and Mustard
- Astringent: Beans, Lentils, Turmeric, Vegetables like Cauliflower
and Cabbage, and Cilantro
Chettinad cuisine
Chettinad cuisine is
famous for its use of a variety of spices in preparing mainly non-vegetarian
food. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas, and topped with
a boiled egg that is usually considered an essential part of a meal. They also
use a variety of sun-dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry
environment of the region. The meat is restricted to fish, prawn, lobster,
crab, chicken and mutton. Chettiars do not eat beef and pork.
Most of the dishes are
eaten with rice and rice-based accompaniments such as Dosais, Appams, Idiyappams,
Adais and Idlis. The Chettinad people, through their mercantile contacts with
Burma, learnt to prepare a type of rice pudding made with sticky red rice.
Chettinad cuisine offers
a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Some of the popular
vegetarian dishes include Idiyappam, Paniyaram, Vellai Paniyaram, Karuppatti
Paniyaram, Paal Paniyaram, Kuzhi Paniyaram, Kozhakattai, Masala Paniyaram, Adikoozh,
Kandharappam, Seeyam, Masala Seeyam, Kavuni Arisi and Athirasam.
Popular Chettinad
dishes:
Vegetarian: Kevar Kalli, Idli, Sambar, Vadai, Rasam, Dosa,
Thayir Sadam (yogurt rice), Thayir Vadai (yogurt-soaked fritters), Kootu (vegetables
in wet style), Poriyal/Kari (vegetables in dry style), Murukku, Uthappam, Idiappam,
Appalam (deep fried lentil-flour crisps) and Papadum (baked lentil-flour
crips), freshly made Thayir Pachidi (yogurt mixed with fresh vegetables)
Non-vegetarian: Karuvattu Kuzhambu (salted, dried fish in
sauce), Chettinad Pepper Chicken, Fish Fry, and Kanji with "old fish"
gravy
