Chettinad cuisine is from the community called the Chettiars from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India. It uses a variety of spices and the dishes are made with fresh ground masalas. Chettiars also use a variety of sun-dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice-based dishes such as dosas, appams, idiyappams, adais, and idlis. The cuisine is well known for its complexity of flavors.