Think Andhra Pradesh food and red hot chillies come to mind. But ask a local, and you will learn that the region boasts an incredible range of flavours.
We asked Sreevalli Emani, who runs the beautiful blog Foodrhythms, to let us in on some of the secrets of Andhra cuisine. Over to her:
The food of Andhra Pradesh is an integral part of South Indian cuisine. Its signature appeal is, of course, in its hot and spicy food. But there is much more!
The first thing to know is that the cuisine of Andhra is divided into coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema dishes as they vary widely in preparation and taste. To begin with, rice is a staple in all regions of Andhra, but when it comes to Rayalaseema they enjoy raagi sankati: ragi roti and rice as the main course. The pickles of Andhra are one of the spiciest and most delicious condiments, served along with rice.
Besides spiciness, Andhrites do enjoy tangy tamarind-based and sweet jaggery-based dishes too. An Andhra household meal consists of rice, dal, veggie fry, pickle, spice powder and rasam or sambar accompanied by yoghurt.
Ghee is served as a side to flavour up these dishes. It also helps in reducing extra spice in the food and improves digestion. Every region has its own unique delicacies but some dishes are enjoyed across the State.
Popular Andhra dishes include pulihora or tamarind rice, gongura pachadi which is also known as Andhra Mata, avakaya or mango pickle. Ulavacharu is a rasam made of horse gram, kandipodi or gun powder, pesarattu with upma, mirapakaya bag arisalu, putharekulu, bandaruladoo, Kakinada kaja and many more.
Did this post whet your appetite? Why not check out this well-kept Delhi food secret as well!
