Foodie's delight

The golden, crispy Masala Dose and the melt-in-the-mouth Mysore Pak might have gone global, but they are only teasers of the culinary delights of Karnataka. In a state where you get to hear a different dialect every 50km, the cuisine, too, is unbelievably diverse. The kitchens in the plains, hills and the coastline reflect the unique, strong connections with the soil, temperature and rainfall and the experimentation with locally grown grains, pulses, vegetables, spices and fruits. So, if you hit the food trail here, you will find that the cuisine is not just restricted to the idli-sambar-chutney combos, the onion and tomato uthappams and the varieties of dosas dished out at the ubiquitous Udupi hotels and Darshini joints that dot the highways and the cityscape.

There are broadly four cuisines in Karnataka—Old Mysore (plains), coastal Karnataka, Malnad (hills) and north Karnataka (plateau). What white rice is to the Old Mysore region and Malnad, red rice is to coastal Karnataka and jowar-roti to north Karnataka.

The Old Mysore region has flavours that are anything but plain. Say, you land in the capital city in the morning. You will be spoilt for choice with an array of breakfast specials like shavige uppittu (vermicelli upma), puliyogare (tamarind rice), chitranna (lemon rice) and vangi baat (brinjal rice). 'Food pilgrimage' for Bengalureans, however, means feasting on authentic Iyengari puliyogare at Malleswaram or Basavangudi or munching on the benne murukku, thengol, chakkuli, kodubale, nippittu (snacks made of rice flour) at the food street in VV Puram. In rural households though, akki rotti (made of rice) and avalakki uppittu (puffed rice upma) are more common breakfast options. But ragi dishes—ragi mudde (steamed ragi balls) teamed with avarekaalu (Indian bean) or soppu (greens) saaru (soup) and ragi rotti with sesame seed chutney—rule the palate in the region.

The signature dishes bring in a slice of history, too. Faced with the shortage of rice during World War II, the Mavalli Tiffin Rooms invented rava idli (semolina idli). Today, semolina has been replaced with the enriched version of rice, vegetables and cashews. Mysore Pak, a concoction of gram flour, ghee and sugar, was first prepared in the royal kitchens by Mysore Palace cook Kakasura Madappa [he opened the popular Guru Sweets shop in Mysuru]. Obbattu or holige is an old popular dish. A sweet stuffed pancake similar to puran poli of Maharashtra, it finds a mention in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by King Someshvara III.

The coast here boasts a cuisine that is a blend of Udupi and Mangalorean (Kudla/Karavali) style. While the former is a purely vegetarian fare evolved out of the 'Satvik' kitchens of the Astha Mathas (Vaishnav monasteries), the latter is a seafood special. So, apart from relishing the local varieties of fish, prawns, crabs and squids, go green with tambuli (curry made of sour leaves), kotte idli and bolu huli (sambar made of local variety of brinjal), kosambari (vegetable salad mixed with soaked pulses) and bisi bele huli anna (a rice variety with lentils and mixed vegetables).

While Mangalore buns, biscuit roti, goli baje (bonda) are popular evening snacks, patrode (rolled and steamed colocasia leaves smeared with rice paste) stands out owing to its distinct taste.

A trip to north Karnataka will help you appreciate the simple pleasure of relishing hot-from-the-tawa Jolada rotis (bread made of jowar) with homemade butter, ennegayi palya (spicy brinjal curry), kaalu palya (pulses curry), shenga pudi (extremely spicy peanut powder), or simply with fresh methi leaves and onions. The best place to experience this pure vegetarian thaali is Khanavali—a modest canteen run mostly by the Lingayat community.

But it is not all spice here. For a sugar high, bite into a Belgaum Kunda or Dharwad Pedha or Karadantu. Kunda is believed to be a chance discovery of Jakku Marwadi, a Rajasthani confectioner who had left the milk boiling on the stove for long and later added khova and sugar to enhance the taste. Dharwad Pedha is a 175-year-old milk delicacy, and its recipe, for long, was a closely guarded secret of the Ram Ratan Singh Thakur family that migrated from Uttar Pradesh's Unnao in the 19th century. Kardantu is a fried edible gum mixed with dry fruits and nuts, grated dry coconut, apricot and anjeer.

A trek to the hills can leave you cold and tired to the bones. But the cuisine of the Malnad region—where the weather alternates between misty winters and torrential rains—is designed for comfort. It specialises in kashayas (hot concoction of spices), appe midi (special variety of mango) pickle, snacks and porridge made of jackfruit and mango. The rituals and customs of the ethnic groups like Coorgis and Konkanis in the region have enriched its culinary repertoire.

A sumptuous Bale ele oota or lunch served on a banana leaf is a must for every auspicious occasion. In this elaborate meal, the dishes are served in a particular sequence and have a predetermined position on the leaf. The train of dishes seems endless, and the pace of the 'express battalion' of stewards serving the dishes is one that an amateur cannot keep up with. The simple trick is to follow the local residents: negotiate for smaller portions of each item. Bon appétit!