If you have a taste for good food, Tamil Nadu is the place to be. Tamil Nadu has some of the best regional cuisines in India, which are unique and offer beautiful flavoursome cooking methods as well as rich cultural heritage and tradition backed by family recipes. The most traditional dishes make their home here too because they were loved by many generations before them. If you’re visiting this region with your family or friends for the first time, make sure you sample these mouth-watering delicacies at one of our amazing restaurants!
There are many famous foods in the country of temples, and lots of them come from Tamil Nadu. Despite the popularity of cuisines from neighboring states, traditional food like Chettinad is also well known and popularly served among people here. The state’s own cuisine has different variations that are unique to each part of this diverse southern state which borders other countries as well. If you think Tamil Nadu only consists primarily vegetarian dishes due to its religious beliefs – you’re wrong! Non-vegetarian meals abound throughout this region too!
The cuisine of Tamil Nadu is known for its rich variety of spices, flavours and ingredients.
#1. Sambhar in Tamil Nadu
How about this one? This list has to begin with the mighty dish called Sambhar. It is a lentil-based stew that has been prepared with tomatoes and/or tamarind for its base for building flavours. Whether it is for breakfast or a lavish traditional Tamilian lunch spread, Sambar is significant part of almost every meal in Tamil Nadu and in most homes around the world! Vegetables such as carrots, yam, drumsticks and okra are added to make it more delicious–and nutritious!–to boot.
#2. Puliyodarai in Tamil Nadu
Tamarind, coconut and rice are some of the ingredients commonly used in Tamil Brahmin food. One such dish that comes from combining tamarind and rice is Puliyodarai. It is offered as a special dish during festivals or other celebratory occasions at home, where it’s enjoyed with fryums or papadams by God first before people eat it too. Preparation is quite easy for this delicious tangy dish which can be made ahead of time to serve later on!
#3. Paruppu Payasam in Tamil Nadu
You can enjoy a traditional dessert during summer with Paruppu Payasam. This simple dish is made with moong dal, jaggery and ghee – no sugar or milk required. It’s not too sweet so you don’t need to feel guilty about eating this delicious hot pudding! Just like any traditional Indian recipe, it tastes best when it has just been prepared but watch out for the heat continuing to melt down into your palate as time passes by….
#4. Pollachi Nandu Fry in Tamil Nadu
If you are a seafood lover who is visiting the coastal town of Pollachi, then make sure to try the delicious crab curry dish – Nandu Fry. It includes a special spice mix that goes really well with crabs’ natural sweetness and can be found on many South Indian cuisine menus. You will enjoy this delicacy best if you find yourself in Tamil Nadu during cooler weather standing at one of the street stalls preparing it for customers or eating it right off their grill.
Must Read: 5 Types Of Tikkas You Must Have While Travelling in India
#5. Rasam in Tamil Nadu
Rasam is a tangy, spicy broth that’s tempered with typical spices like curry leaves and mustard seeds. It’s often enjoyed on its own or with rice. Rasam tastes best when it’s piping hot and can be eaten anytime of the year! But depending on what ingredients you chose to add in, it could taste different in every season! Some other common recipes are adding meat or seafood into this yummy dish too!
#6. Mutton Kola Urundai in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, this dish is one of the most popular. They are so flavourful that when prepared well, it has a real taste and feel like you’re eating popping candy in your mouth! The use of spices in making these deep fried appetizers is perfect and everything blends together harmoniously rather than overpowering each other.
#7. Chicken Chettinad in Tamil Nadu
This mouth-watering dish is a specialty of the Chettiyar community and has many variations in other cuisines. It is chicken marinated in yogurt, turmeric, a variety of spices such as poppy seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seed s. It can be prepared either dry or with gravy – it’s enjoyed with steamed rice or a rice flour paratha! This tasty food comes from Tamil Nadu but there are many regional non vegetarian dishes within the broad category called “Tamil Food.”
#8. Filter Kaapi in Tamil Nadu
South Indian meals aren’t complete without a cup of Filter Kaapi (filter coffee) afterwards. It is customary for guests to be offered a cup before and after the meal, which is brewed in this special metal device that resembles two cylindrical cups. If you are given the chance, you need to watch how it’s brewed and what makes it so frothy while serving!
#9. Sakkarai Pongal in Tamil Nadu
The most significant ingredients in pongal are rice, milk and moong dal. There are four variations of Pongal that can be enjoyed by people living in Tamil Nadu – Venn Pongal, Puli Pungul (made with tamarind), Sakkarai Pungul (made with jaggery) and some form of Melagu Ponugal (made with black pepper). The festival associated to this dish is called Tamil New Year’s Day or Haathu-moli. Women gather together on this day as a celebration for their agricultural skills which they have learned from the earlier harvest season. In order to celebrate these newly acquired skills, women make sakaraipongaol by melting dried cow’s milk into clay pots over an open fire.
#10. Murukku in Tamil Nadu
These savoury snacks are perfect for tea time or coffee! You can enjoy them with a cup of fragrant, flavourful hot beverage. Murukku means ‘twisted’ in Tamil and refers to the spiral, twisted shape of this friend item. These delicious treats are made from rice flour and urad dal flour mixed together with water, salt, red chilli powder asafoetida and either sesame seeds or cumin seeds that get kneaded into dough before being twisted into spirals. The result is deep fried until they become crispy golden brown on the outside-just like you want! They come in many different variations too: sweet meat or seafood versions created by our lovely Indian chefs that will tempt your taste buds.
#11. Vada Curry in Tamil Nadu
In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, vada is a popular food dish typically served with rice. The ingredients add spice to this simple dish: chana daal, red chili pepper, fennel seeds, and other spices are used to make these vegetarian/vegan-friendly hallowed treat. They’re then added into curry made up of onion, tomato ginger garlic – in addition to a unique flavor from the inclusion of fresh curry leaves and tamarind paste.
#12. Elumichai Sadam in Tamil Nadu
“Lemon rice” is the name of a traditional food from Tamil Nadu. Rice, lemon, split black gram (also known as urad dal), mustard seed powder and red chilies are used to make it. This dish is cooked in many homes in Tamil Nadu for lunch or dinner. It’s one of their most popular dishes that everyone should try!
#13. Medhu Vadai in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil, the word “medhu” means “soft.” Soft vadas (fritters) composed primarily of urad dal that are crisp on the exterior but soft and with a flaky texture on the inside is what this traditional Indian dish from Tamil Nadu is all about. It can be served as an appetizer or snack alongside sambhar, coffee, or tea. These crispy fritters have a little heat to them so they might not be good for dinner time! Alas these are delicious though!
Must Read: Best Places to Eat Vada Pav Near Me in Mumbai
#14. Onion Uthappam in Tamil Nadu
This popular food item is the thinner version of a dosa. It can be topped with many different ingredients such as onions, capsicums, and tomatoes to create its own unique flavor profile. The onion uthappam is made from idli batter, coriander leaves and green chilies mixed together well before being cooked on a flat griddle or tava. It’s usually served with sambhar but it tastes just fine without it too!
#15. Semiya Kesar in Tamil Nadu
This is a sweet dish from India’s southern region. Vermicelli, milk, sugar, cardamom, ghee and orange food coloring are used to make it. It’s a delicious dessert that can only be found in Tamil Nadu-a place you should visit with your family!
The versatility of Tamilian food reflects an incredible meeting of cultures. The dosas, vadas, and other dishes are not the only aspects that make up this vast branch. There is a variety of cultural influences throughout Tamil Nadu including Chetiars, Arcotians (the dish “Archipet”), Kongunadu people (who traditionally ate with their hands), and Iyengar Hindus who eat prasadam daily before they pray at Chaturmasa- the four months in which fasting is practiced during religious festivals like Mahalaya Amavasi or Pongal.
Hey, I really love your content, the amount of detail and information you have provided is incredible. Also if you are a avid traveller and looking for best price for your hotels and flight tickets. Then check us out on and start your journey today.