Southern Taste of India - South Palates Beyond Vadas

More than a year since I last posted something here. I migrated to Instagram after bowing down to the pressures of so many Instagrammers who keep posting pictures of food in a million different ways, thanks to all kinds of technology at their disposal. The photo-sharing app, I believe, is booming primarily because of food photography. Travel photography is not something everyone can produce. Plus, the layers of sophistication with which it started was out of bounds for many like me, who are too broke to travel to Europe but not too broke to taste at least one European dish. Food and travel are so inter-related, no?

My last blog was about what I experienced in Bhutan via their cuisine. This one, after a year-long hiatus, is about what I saw in my own country. I long to explore my home Odisha because, let me tell you, urban Odisha is NOT home to all kinds of authentic Odia cuisine. But, like a true blue millennial, I chose to discover neighboring countries and states first. Last month was my sojourn to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. And I'm proud to say, I simply gorged on their amazing South Indian cuisine, which you can find in Odisha, but not how you find it there.

My South darshan began last December with the southern island country - our dear neighbor Sri Lanka. There wasn't much new and unique to be found there (my trip was of 5 days only and I was sick for two; thank you winding roads in Nuwara Eliya), so I focused on their cuisine. Sri Lankans seemed to me more colonial hungover than India. We had English breakfast in most places. But, as with any place, once you taste their local cuisine, you will know what it is. I highly recommend the Sri Lankan KOTTU - their most popular street food. Since my stomach was already on fire, thanks to their extreme spicy food, I didn't eat it, but I hear it is tasty. I did taste their dessert, shakes and cutlet.

The above image is from my Instagram food handle of the same name.

After failing to find anything which could satiate my stomach without setting it on fire, I finally found something slightly skin to Indian food, especially South India. It was rice, dal and veggies but with something special from Sri Lanka which is also found in southern states in India. It was delicious and I took two servings of it.

But, of course, while Sri Lanka was all that spicy, South India is not. During my trip to Ooty and Bangalore, I made sure I taste authentic south Indian cuisine so that I can discriminate between the watery chutney we eat in Odisha and the so-apt one we find everywhere in the South. From dosa to upma to uttapam and Idli, even that Medhuvada, everything was so on spot. (I so hate myself for not taking a pic of Maddur Vada I ate at Channapatna). When you go to South India, no matter how much you think you hate their food, you gotta try it. Traveling is supposed to open your mind. And tasting the cuisine of a place is the perfect way to do so, even if you are not a foodie.

Both the trips might have left me not quenched much and wanting for so much more, the food definitely was sumptuous. It was what I wanted to do and I stuck to it. Another recommendation - do have Maddur Vada at Channapatna with the white chutney. I assure you, you won't be disappointed, (Credits to our chauffeur Madhu, from GoIbibo, who stopped at that tea stall and recommended Maddur Vada to us).

I'm looking forward to exploring so much more of South India and other southern cuisines. After all, to me, that's the whole point of traveling.

Stay tuned to this space for more.

I'm on Instagram as Amuse Bouche - Plates_Palates. Follow for more micro-updates.