page_title: Tamil cuisine
section_title: Typical meals
hierarchical_section_title: Tamil cuisine / Typical meals
caption_attribution_description: English: Veg Meals in Tamil Nadu,India traditionally served in banana leaf
context_page_description: Tamil cuisine is a culinary style originating in the southern Indian state Tamil Nadu and other parts of South Asia such as Sri Lanka. Vegetarian cuisine is popular among the Tamil people and has been so since ancient times. However, meats along with rice, legumes and lentils are also popular. Dairy products and tamarind are used to provide sour flavors. On special occasions, traditional Tamil dishes are served in a traditional manner, using banana leaves in place of utensils. After eating, the banana leaves are then used as a secondary food for cattle. A typical breakfast meal consists of idli or dosa with chutney. Lunch includes rice, sambar, curd, kuzhambu, and rasam.
context_section_description: Sappadu (a typical meal), along with other Tamil dishes are served on a banana leaf which adds flavor. Puddings such as payasam are eaten last. Coffee and tea are the staple drinks.
  "Virundhu" refers to the core elements of Tamil cuisine offered to the guests on special occasions such as festivals and marriage ceremony. Rice staples, tomato rice, Paruppu, sambar, rasam, poriyal and koottu are added with butter or curd to prepare pachadi. Dry and fresh fruits or vegetables are also used to prepare traditional cuisine.They serve salt, pickles, payasam, and avial. After the meal, a banana and betel leaf with areca nuts and limestone paste are used to promote digestion. Before eating traditional cuisine, people clean the banana leaf with water. It is used as a large dinning table sheet to serve food for guests and family members on which the food items are placed.
caption: A vegetarian meal in Tamil Nadu
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 600D", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "PhotoScape", "Image DateTime": "2014:11:30 14:44:38", "Image Artist": "", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "", "Image ExifOffset": "216", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "28/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "3200", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "3200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:11:30 14:44:38", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:11:30 14:44:38", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "51/8", "EXIF ApertureValue": "5", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "18", "EXIF SubSecTime": "27", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "27", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "27", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2592", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1728", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "8102", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "518400/181", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "345600/119", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF CameraOwnerName": "", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "208076051773", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[18, 55, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "00004022c4"}