More than just ‘South Indian’

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Strap: Exploring the unique flavours of Rayalaseema food and its future

Swati Rai

When it comes to culinary diversity, India tops the list for most travel aficionados. The simplistic north-south division of culinary practices doesn’t quite cut it here as within regions and districts, after every proverbial hundred steps, lies a varied flavour. The same is true for South India where nuances of the less-discovered, but equally popular, Rayalaseema cuisine, remain undiscovered.

The specialty

Rayalaseema is the southernmost tip of Andhra Pradesh with Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool districts in it. The cuisine bears influence of both Chettinad and Karnataka due to its close geographical proximity with the other two southern states. Rayaloori cuisine is typified by its tangy, hot and spicy flavours. Rich in protein, calcium, fiber and iron, it includes millets, rice and ragi.Apart from green and red chillies, typical seasonings include cinnamon, clove and coconut. Podi,which is a dry spice powder made from different ingredients, is common accompaniment to this cuisine. Chintaakhu, cenagha and paphula podiare some common spice mixes. Chef Chalapathi Rao of Simply South shares that the new-age fad of slow cooking, organic foods and going back to the grains is deeply embedded in this cuisine with staples like jowar and raagi.

Dietary staples

Dishes such as ragi sangathi or ragi mudha, rice pullagura, byadala rasam and chutneys like roti pacchadi, uraghaaya(preserved pickle),which goes very well with ragi sangathi and naathu kodi pulusu are key Rayalaseema foods.

Chef Vinay from Novotel, Vijaywada, Varun NVV says the cuisine’s USP is its unique breakfast. The leftover rice from previous day is soaked in water overnight. It is mashed in the morning, seasoned with rock salt and eaten with fresh green chilies, sambaronions or with naleeruchutney. He says the best time to savour delicacies is festivals such as sankranthi, boghi pongal and ugadhi. “Particularly on Boghi Pongal,most of the houses start their day with dosawith pitikhi bedala kura(anapakaya seeds soaked overnight and a curry made from it), chitraanam with pappu (dal), udhi wada with payasam, suguntalu (a sweet made of refined flour stuffed with jaggery, mixed dal paste and dry fruits),guvalaa ceruvu kova(milk-based sweet),” adds Chef Vinay.

To adapt to changing tastes, innovations are being presented on a platter. Chef MB Varun shares, “For a lot of the health-conscious people, ragi sangati is now being paired with innovative curries instead of meat-based. Speaking about Hyderabad, there is a large chunk of population native to Rayalseemawhich is naturally inclined to like their native food options. Also, those new to Hyderabad are now taking to this spicy and savoury cuisine as it is in sync with the arid weather here.” The healthy benefits of millets and other grains used in this cuisine is also a major plus.

Chef Rajeshwariprasad Puthalpattu, regional food curator and TV show presenter, says the cuisine must be accepted in its true form and not tampered a la fusion for it is marked by healthy staples like ragi and leafy vegetables. She says there is a myth that the entire region is drought-prone, affecting production. However, she says cuisine of the land is based on the availability of the crop and meat in this region.

Contemporary connect

With changing times, do traditional culinary choices also metamorphose into fusion cuisines? Chef Chalpathy agrees that the palate of the successive generations has also changed. “There is a general tweaking of the taste insofar as lessening the spice level is concerned. I am great proponent of retaining the original recipes, therefore some blame we as parents also will have to take on not being able to sustain our children’s interest in local cuisine.”