The culinary fare offered by Karnataka is quite varied with each region of the state having its own unique flavors. Many factors and influences have contributed to enrich this culinary heritage.
STATE
Geographically, Karnataka is divided into three distinct regions. A narrow coastal strip along the Arabian Sea, the hills of the Western Ghats, and sprawling plains to the east. Karnataka is also known as the coffee-bowl of India. It is the spice country which produces the best cardamoms, fondly called the 'queen of spices', and 'black gold' or black pepper.
INFLUENCES
Though there are many similarities between the food of Karnataka and its southern neighbors, the typical Mysore cuisine is well known for its own distinctive textural forms and flavor-the dishes complementing and balancing each other.As one goes north within the state, the food begins to resemble that of Maharashtra. The cuisine of coastal Karnataka has similarities with the food of Kerala. There is, in fact, a large amount of correspondence in the food of the four southern states of Karnataka. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. But there are subtle distinctions and recognizable differences in flavor. The Karnatka food on the whole is less hot than that of Andhra, and the Kannada housewife uses more of lentils and coconuts than her Tamil sister.
Karnatka's culinary culture revolves round three staple items-rice, ragi and jowar. However, the people in the northern districts have a preference for wheat and jowar rotis (unleavened bread made of millet) eaten with spiced vegetable preparations. In rural Karnatka, ragi is widely used with each meal. This staple grain is steam cooked and rolled into balls the size of cricket balls and served with hot chutney or huli (a cousin of sambhar).The Kodavas or Coorgis, who are culturally quite different from the rest of the state, have an equally distinct cuisine. They are perhaps the only Hindus who serve non-vegetarian food and alcoholic drinks for their marriage ceremonies and traditional festivities. Most of the Coorgi curries-noted for their flavor and taste-are coconut based, lightly spiced and moderately sour.
The coastal cuisine of Karnatka is as delightful as that of Coorg. Fish and seafood are available in plenty and since the majority are fisher-folk, the cuisine is simple, yet flavorsome.
Coconut is widely used in Mangalore cuisine- its oil as the cooking medium, its gratings or milk for curries. Meat cooked in coconut milk lends a special taste typical to Mangalorean cuisine. Local vegetables are used for a wide variety of preparations and for chutneys, even the skins of the vegetables are used. Most of the gravy dishes are accompanied by kori roti-dry broken pieces of dosai or the handkerchief soft neer dosai, so called because the unfermented batter is of watery consistency. Sana idlis fermented in toddy are yet another popular accompaniment for most of the gravy items.
South Indian cuisine exploits the natural affinity between rice, coconut, and jaggery. Another combination is that of urad dal and rice, which is used for the idlis, dosais and the various kinds of hoygadubus.
The non-vegetarian meal in Karnatka consists of meat and fish. Cooking meat is a simple art in Karnatka, quite unlike that in north india or Hyderabad. The Mangalore coast specializes in varieties of seafood, which are prepared in much the same way as in the rest of the coastal areas.
There are also sub-regional variations. The cooking medium in the coastal strip is the coconut oil. In the plateau it is sesame or groundnut oil. The bhakri meal of the northern Karnatka, based on jowar, is very different. So is the ragi meal of the rural areas of old Mysore.
SPECIALITIES AND SWEETS
A typical Karnatka meal has many delicacies like Kosambari, a salad made of the broken halves of the soaked green moong dal (lentil) minus its skin, spiced with salt, green chili and mustard seed (oggarane) and mixed with tiny scrapings of coconut, cucumber and carrot and dressed with a little lime juice. Then there are the playas which are vegetables steamed or boiled to retain the original color and flavor. Sometimes, huli is replaced with a milder kootu. Tamarind is taboo for kootu, which is spiced with lots of pepper, cumin seeds and ground coconut. Also, no Kannada meal is complete without saaru-a clear pepper broth.
Other popular Karnatka specialties are bisi bele huli anna, which is created out of rice, dal, tamarind, chili powder, and cinnamon, the gojju-a vegetable, most popularly bitter gourd, cooked in tamarind juice and jaggery with chili powder in it, chitranna-rice with the juice of lime, green chili and turmeric powder and sprinkled with fried groundnuts and coriander leaves, and Majjige huli with tovve which has vegetables in a buttermilk base.
Breakfast foods in Karnatka include the popular uppittu (upma in Tamil) made of roasted semolina and laced with chilies, coriander leaves, mustard and jeera (cumin seed). Karnatka's exclusive dosai served in some restaurants catering to the middle class is the famous set or a pile of four dosais served on a banana leaf, and topped with coconut chutney, potatoes, and two small pats of butter.
Kesari bhath (a halwa made of semolina, sugar, and saffron), chiroti and Mysore pak are among the favorite sweets in Karnatka. But the piece de resistance is the obbattu or holigea-flat, thin, wafer-like chappati filled with a mixture of jaggery, coconut and sugar and fried gently on a skillet. Along with payasa (south Indian kheer), obbattu is always served with celebratory meals in Karnatka. Other delectable sweets that come out of the Kannada kitchen are the shavige payasa made of vermicelli and sugar, hesaru bele made with green gram dal, and baadami hallu, which is, crushed almonds mixed with milk, sugar and saffron.
HOW TO EAT WHAT
The traditional Karnatka meal is served on a patravali (banana leaf) or muttuga leaves stitched together, especially during festive occasions or when entertaining visitors. The meal is divided into two parts. It begins with servings of pickle, sliced lemon, raita (yogurt), dry vegetables and a bowl of spiced dal. Rice is served with plain yellow dal or varan (lentil), papads, fat puris made from whole-wheat flour and shreekhand (sweetened yogurt with saffron). An aromatic vegetable and nut pilau forms the latter part of the meal.
Often the hostess ceremonially serves fragrant home made ghee as a signal for the guests to begin eating. It is also customary for the guests to sing a few stanzas from scriptures to bless the food and the host before beginning.
For everyday meals, Huli (a cousin of the sambhar of Tamils) begins the meal and then comes saaru. The saaru is followed by chitranna and then the sweet dish is served.
EATING OUT
Many famous local eateries and restaurants in various towns of the state serve coastal Karnatka, Coorgi and Mangalorean specialties. An important contribution of the state are the Udipi restaurants spread all over the country. Named after a place in the state, the Udipi outlets serve authentic Kannada vegetarian cuisine.
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