Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
al varieties that locals will claim to be the best in India, though this honour is usually con-
ceded to basmati, a fragrant long-grain variety which is widely exported around the world.
Flippin' Fantastic Bread
Although rice is the mainstay of the south, traditional breads are also widely eaten. Roti,
the generic term for Indian-style bread, is a name used interchangeably with chapati to de-
scribe the most common variety, the irresistible unleavened round bread made with
whole-wheat flour and cooked on a
tawa
(hotplate). It may be smothered with ghee (clari-
fied butter) or oil. In some places, rotis are bigger and thicker than chapatis and possibly
cooked in a tandoor.
Pongal, the major harvest festival of the south, is most closely associated with the dish of the same
name, made with the season's first rice, along with jaggery, nuts, raisins and spices.
Dhal-icious!
The whole of India is united in its love for dhal (curried lentils or pulses). You may en-
counter up to 60 different pulses: the most common are
channa,
a slightly sweeter version
of the yellow split pea; tiny yellow or green ovals called
moong
(mung beans); salmon-
coloured
masoor
(red lentils); the ochre-coloured southern favourite,
tuvar
(yellow lentils;
also known as
arhar
);
rajma
(kidney beans);
urad
(black gram or lentils); and
lobhia
(black-eyed peas).
Meaty Matters
Although India probably has more vegetarians than the rest of the world combined, it still
has an extensive repertoire of carnivorous fare. Chicken, lamb and mutton (sometimes ac-
tually goat) are the mainstays; religious taboos make beef forbidden to devout Hindus and
pork to Muslims.
In some southern restaurants you'll probably come across meat-dominated northern
Mughlai cuisine, which includes rich curries, kebabs, koftas and biryanis. This spicy food
traces its history back to the (Islamic) Mughal empire that once reigned supreme in India.
Tandoori meat dishes are another North Indian favourite which have also made their
way south. The name is derived from the clay oven, or tandoor, in which the marinated
meat is cooked.
