Telugu

Telugu people

The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...

 cuisine, also called Andhra cuisine, refers to the cuisine

Cuisine

Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...

 consumed by the people of the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

. Food of Andhra Pradesh is known for its heavy use of spice

Spice

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...

s and chillies

Chili

-Food:* Chili pepper, the spicy fruit of plants in the genus Capsicum* Chili powder, dried, ground red chili peppers, sometimes with cumin and other spices* Chili con carne, often referred to simply as "chili" a stew-like dish...

. Rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

 is the staple food in the Telugu cuisine and is usually consumed with a variety of curries and lentil

Lentil

The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...

 soup

Soup

Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...

s or broth

Broth

Broth is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of either water or an already flavored stock, in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce. It can be eaten alone or with garnish...

s.

Grains and Breads

Rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

 is the staple food of Telugu cuisine. Popular ways of serving it are tamarind

Tamarind

Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...

 rice (pulihara) .

Idli is a steamed cake commonly eaten for breakfast with sambar or chutney

Chutney

Chutney is a a condiment used in South Asian cuisine that usually contains a spice and vegetable mix.Chutneys are wet or dry, having a coarse to fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. At least several...

. Chili powder (kaarampodi) and ground nut chutney are also common additions.

Dosa

Dosa

Dosa or Dhosai is a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils. It is indigenous to and is a staple dish in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as being popular in Sri Lanka...

 (minapattu) is another popular snack. Andhra-style dosas are spicier and crispier than those found in other regions of South India. Pesarattu

Pesarattu

Pesarattu is a crepe-like bread unique to Telugu cuisine that is similar to dosa. It is made with batter of green gram , but unlike a dosa, it does not contain rice. Pesarattu is eaten both in breakfast and as snack that popular in Andhra Pradesh state in India. It is typically served with ginger...

 is a flatbread similar to a dosa, but thin and crispy. It is eaten with a ginger

Ginger

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....

 chutney. MLA Pesarattu is a popular variation of pesarattu filled with spiced semolina

Semolina

Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta, and also used for breakfast cereals and puddings. Semolina is also used to designate coarse middlings from other varieties of wheat, and from other grains such as rice and corn.-Name:The term semolina derives from...

.

Vada

Vada

Vada ; also known as wada or vade or vadai , is a savoury fritter-type snack from South India.-Description:Vada can vary in shape and size, but are usually either doughnut- or disc-shaped and are about between 5 and 8 cm across. They are made from dal, lentil, gram flour or potato.Vada is a...

 and uttapam

Uttapam

Uttapam or ooththappam is a dosa-like dish made by cooking ingredients in a batter. Unlike a dosa, which is crisp and crepe-like, uttapam is a thick pancake, with toppings cooked right into the batter...

 are two dishes that are also made with rice.

Typically rice is self-mixed (hands) with the various items served and neyi, or ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

 is also added. Neyi is not added to Majjiga or Perugu, but salt is as per taste. Meals are eaten in an orderly fashion; for example: curry plus rice, pachadi plus rice, pappu plus rice and then perugu plus rice followed by dessert.

Curry

Koora - The region produces a wide variety of Kooralu (curries); variants are listed below

• Vepudu : crispy fried vegetables, typically including okra
  Okra
  Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
  
   (bendakaya), ivy gourd (dondakaya), potato
  Potato
  The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
  
   (bangaladumpa), and colocasia
  Colocasia
  Colocasia is a genus of 25 or more species of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical Polynesia and southeastern Asia. Common names include Elephant-ear, Taro, Cocoyam, Dasheen,Chembu, and Eddoe...
  
  .
• Kaaram Petti Koora / Koora Podi Koora: sautéed vegetables cooked with curry powder or paste, served as a solid mass. The vegetables can be stuffed with curry powder or paste and are usually cooked whole.
• Pulusu Koora / Aava petti Koora: boiled vegetables cooked in tamarind sauce and mustard paste.
• Pappu Koora: boiled vegetables stir-fried with a small amount of half-cooked lentils (dal).
• Other gravy based curries are chiefly made with vegetables cooked in tomato sauce
  Tomato sauce
  A tomato sauce is any of a very large number of sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish...
  
   and onion
  Onion
  The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
  
   with coriander
  Coriander
  Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
  
   and cumin
  Cumin
  Cumin is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to India. Its seeds are used in the cuisines of many different cultures, in both whole and ground form.-Etymology:...
  
   powder.

Daal

Pappu - Toor Daal (Kandi Pappu) or Moong Daal (Pesara pappu) cooked with a vegetable or green. No masala is added to the dal. Some regions include garlic and onion in the seasoning while some regions prefer asafetida (hing/Inguva). Some times the cooked version of the dal is replaced with a roast and ground version of the dal like Kandi pachadi (roasted toor daal ground with red chiles) and pesara pachadi (soaked moong daal ground with red chillies or green chillies).

A very popular Andhra combo is mudda pappu (plain toor dal cooked with salt) with Avakaya.

Pickles

Pachadi / Ooragaya - There are two broad varieties - Pachadi (chutney) and Ooragaya. Pachadi is typically made of vegetables/greens and roasted green/ red chillies. It is prepared fresh and is consumed within a day or two. Ooragaya is prepared in massive amounts seasonally and uses liberal amounts of chilli powder, methi (fenugreek) powder, mustard powder and oil. For a typical Andhrite, no meal is complete without this very essential item. It is consumed on its own mixed with rice or is also eaten as a side dish with pappu / koora.

Pulusu

Pulusu is a curry-like stew that is typically sour and cooked with tamarind

Tamarind

Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...

 paste. Other common bases are tomatoes or mangoes. The mixture can be flavored with mustard, chilies, curry leaves, jaggery, onions, or fenugreek. Fish, chicken, and eggs are typical meat additions. Pachi Pulusu

Pachi Pulusu

Pachi Pulusu is an unheated version of the pulusu, a type of curry-like stew from Andhra Pradesh. Unlike regular pulusu, this kind is much more watery and light. Typically this dish is prepared with tamarind with onions, chillies, and jaggery. Other typical Andhra Pradesh seasonings may be added,...

 is an unheated version of pulusu typically made of mangoes or tamarind consumed during warm months.

• Challa Pulusu / Majjiga pulusu - Sour buttermilk boiled with channa dal and coconut paste
• Menthi Challa / Menthi Majjiga - Sour buttermilk seasoned with ginger / green chili paste and menthi seeds fried in oil.

Sambar

Sambar

Sambar may refer to:*Sambar , a kind of deer*Sambar , a lentil-based dish common in South India and Sri Lanka*Sambhar, Rajasthan, a city and a municipality in Rajasthan, India**Sambhar Salt Lake, a lake in Rajasthan...

 (Pappuchaaru) is another type of common stew.

Perugu - The last item of the meal. Perugu (curd) is normally consumed with an accompaniment like pachadi or ooragaya.

Evening snacks

At home, many savoury snacks make appearance during evening time. These are

• Kaarappoosa - కారప్పూస
• Chekkalu - చెక్కలు
• Jantikalu - జంతికలు
• Sakinalu or Chakkiralu - చక్కిరాలు
• Chuppulu - చుప్పులు
• Chegodilu - చేగోడీలు
• Guggillu - గుగ్గిళ్ళు
• Pakodi - పకోడీ
• Boondi - బూంది
• Mixture' (Boondi mixed with chopped onions and lemon juice) -
• Ponganalu
  Ponganalu
  Ponganalu: Ponganalu is a traditional snack item of Andhra Pradesh. It is a fluffy and smooth food item made mostly in the Mahbubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. It is sometimes stuffed with onions, corn or coriander for taste. It is taken in combination with peanut or pudina chutney....
  
  - పొంగనాలు
• Punukulu - పునుకులు
• Upma - ఉప్మా
• Bondaalu or Punukulu' with spicy dips (allam pachadi) - బొండాలు
• Mirapakaya Bajji - a local variety of extra-hot chillies stuffed with spices and dipped in chick pea batter and fried
• Ullipakodi - fritters made with sliced onion and spices in chickpea batter
• Gaare - గారే (similar to Vada). Gaares are a deep fried and spiced dough.
• Perugu gaare / Aavadalu - ఆవడలు Gaare are marinated in a yoghurt sauce.

Sweets

• Laddu
  Laddu
  Laddu or Laddoo is a ball-shaped sweet popular in South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh as well as countries with immigrants from South Asia. Laddu is made of flour and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe...
  
  
• poornalu
  Poornalu
  Poornalu is the traditional sweet in the Telugu festivals. It is made of rice flour stuffed with jaggary mixed dal paste, dry fruits. It is often served hot with ghee. It is called as Poornalu in Telangana region and Boorelu in andhra region....
  
   or Boorelu
  Boorelu
  Boorelu is the traditional sweet Indian dish in the Telugu festivals. It is made of balls rice flour stuffed with coconut, sugar, and dried fruits. It is often served hot with ghee....
  
  
• Rava Laddu
• Bhakshalu or Bobbatlu or Polelu
• Pootharekulu
  Pootharekulu
  Pootharekulu Paper Sweets is a wafer-like sweet of Andhra Pradesh. Atreyapuram, a village and mandal in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh is very famous for preparation & trading of this sweet.-Preparation:...
  
  
• Ariselu
  Ariselu
  Ariselu or Arisa is a South Indian sweet dish from the North-eastern part of old Madras Presidency and present day Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Arisa or Arisalu is a Telugu word which means rice. It is also called kajaya in Kannada...
  
  
• Khaja
  Khaja
  Khaja also Pheni is Oriya sweet made from Refined wheat flour, sugar and edible oils . It is made and eaten all throughout Indian subcontinent, though it is known by different names. It is prepared in the states of Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.-Legend:Khaja is one...
  
  
• Payasam
• Gavvalu
  Gavvalu
  Gavvalu is one of the typical sweets made in Andhra Pradesh, and is a mixture of rice flour and water or milk. The prepared dough is shaped into small rounds, which are flattened and rolled so as to take the shape of gavvalu . These shells are fried in oil or ghee and can be set aside for some...
  
  
• Telangana Garjalu
• Chakkera pongali (sugar pongal)
• Laskora Undalu (coconut laddu) or Raskora Undalu (coconut laddu)
• Boondi
  Boondi
  Boondi is a fried Rajasthani sweet snack made from chickpea flour. A savory version of Boondi called Khara is also made. Being very sweet, it can be stored for a week or so. Due to the need for preserving food in arid regions of Rajasthan, boondi Laddu are preferred.-Preparation:To prepare...
  
  
• Palathalikalu
  Palathalikalu
  Palathalikalu is a sweet dish made during Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is said to be very delicious. It is more popular in Guntur district.-Preparation:...
  
  
• Ravva Kesari
• Pappuchekka
• Jeedilu
• Kobbari Lavuju
  Kobbari Lavuju
  Kobbari Lavuju is a famous sweet in Guntur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The key ingredients are grated coconut, sugar, jaggery and spices like elaichi. This is a traditional dish prepared especially on festival days and other auspicious days....
  
  
• Telangana sakinalu
  Telangana sakinalu
  Sakinalu is a famous and Traditional snack of Telangana region of India. It is very crispy and tasty snack made mostly on the occasion of Telugu festival Sankranti. Sakinalu are made of rice flour and seasame. It is popular in Karimnagar district of Telangana....
  
  
• Vennappalu

Regular Meal

A typical meal in Telugu cuisine consists of a combination of cooked rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, dal

Dal

Dal is a preparation of pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi cuisine...

 (pappu), curry

Curry

Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...

, pickles

Picking

Picking can mean:* Various styles of guitar playing:**Fingerpicking**Flatpicking**Hybrid picking**Pattern picking**Alternate-picking**Sweep-picking**Tremolo picking* A gathering to pick fruit or various products....

 (Pachadi), yoghurt

Yoghurt

Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...

 (perugu) or buttermilk

Buttermilk

Buttermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates where unrefrigerated fresh milk otherwise sours quickly...

 (majjiga), and papadum

Papadum

Papadum, also known as papad in Northern India, , pappadam in Malayalam, happala in Kannada, appalam in Tamil, appadum in Telugu, pappadum or poppadom in the UK, is a thin, crisp Indian preparation sometimes described as a cracker. It is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India...

 (appadam). Chewing paan

Paan

Paan, from the word pān is an Indian, Pakistani, Uttarvarshi and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf with areca nut and slaked lime paste, and katha brown powder paste, with many regional and local variations...

, a mixture of betel

Betel

The Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties...

 leaves and areca nut is also a common practice after meals.

Lunch

Lunch is an elaborate affair in many households.

In traditional households, the meal is served on arati aaku, a single plantain leaf, or vistari, a larger plate made of several leaves sewn together. Recently, more people have begun using broad steel plates called kancham. However, arati aaku and vistari are still widely used for festivals and special events.

Lunch items are served on a single plate in a specific arrangement. Curries and pappu are placed to the right of the diner, while pickles and podi are placed on the left. Special items such as pulihora and garelu are placed at the top right. A large scoop of rice is placed in the middle. Small amounts of pulusu, ghee and buttermilk are typically sprinkled onto the leaf. The ghee is mixed with every item except perugu/majjiga.

Modati Mudda - Rice with some certain types of pickles and ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

 is eaten as the modati mudda, or first bite of meals. Typically, only about four or five balls of rice are consumed. Roasted

Roasting

Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered by some as a flavor enhancement. Roasting uses more indirect, diffused heat , and is...

 chillies are also an addition and can be served with either coriander

Coriander

Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...

 seeds, curry tree

Curry Tree

The curry tree is a tropical to sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae, which is native to India...

 leaves, sesame seeds, or ginger

Ginger

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....

, which are all believed to have medicinal value. Pickled foods that are commonly used include pickled Indian gooseberry

Indian gooseberry

Phyllanthus emblica , the Indian gooseberry, or aamla, is a deciduous tree of the Phyllanthaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.-Plant anatomy and harvesting:...

, pickled lime

Lime (fruit)

Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...

 or pickled grapefruit

Grapefruit

The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...

. These items tend to taste sour or hot and have strong aromas, and are usually intended to stimulate appetite and aid digestion.

Main Course

There is a great regional variation in what is eaten after the modati mudda. In some districts like Krishna and Guntur, koora (curry) is the most common choice. Other districts, including West Godavari, more commonly serve Pappu (daal) and pachadi, pulusu and majjiga.

Regional Variations

There are regional variations in Telugu cuisine. Telangana, the western region of Andhra Pradesh has some unique dishes in its cuisine, such as Jonna Rotte (Sorghum), Sajja Rotte (Penisetum), or Uppudi Pindi (broken rice). Telangana cuisine is influenced by Persian and Afghan cuisine as Telangana was under the control of Muslim kings for a long time. In northern Telangana districts, the cuisine has dishes similar to those found in Maharashtra such as Kadi.

There are different foods and snacks made in Rayalaseema regions.

• Attirasaalu (Arese)
• Baadusha
• Jaangri
• Jilebi
• Pakam Undalu, a mixture of steamed rice flour, ground nuts, jaggery)
• Borugu Undalu (a sweet variety made corn of jowar and jaggery)
• Masala Borugulu (like snacks)
• Raagi Ball
• Saddi Annam, made of night cooked rice soaked in butter milk)

Jonna, Raagi rotte, a combination of ghee)

• Ponganaalu wet rice flour, fry with oil, carrot, onions, chillis

Bonda,

• Mirchibajji Roast

Ravva laddu

See also

• Indian cuisine
  Indian cuisine
  Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
  
  
• Tamil cuisine
  Tamil cuisine
  Tamil Nadu is famous for its hospitality and its deep belief that serving food to others is a service to humanity, as is common in many regions of India. The region has a rich cuisine involving both traditional vegetarian, as well as non-vegetarian dishes. It is characterized by the use of rice,...
  
  
• Cuisine of Karnataka
  Cuisine of Karnataka
  The cuisine of Karnataka includes many vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. The varieties reflect influences from and to the food habits of many regions and communities from the three neighbouring South Indian states, as well as the state of Maharashtra to its north...