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Pongal (dish)
''Pongal'' () is a dish of rice cooked in boiling milk. It is a popular dish cooked by the Tamil people in South India and Sri Lanka. Its preparation is the main custom associated with the namesake Pongal festival. Several varieties such as the Venn pongal and Sakkarai pongal are part of the Tamil cuisine. Etymology and significance The dish is associated with the Pongal festival, a major harvest festival of the Tamils. The name literally translates to "boil over" or "overflow" in Tamil language. As per tradition, the fresh harvest of rice is cooked in boiling milk and offered to various Hindu deities. While the pongal is cooking, onlookers shout "Pongalo pongal!" ('Let the pongal rise up!'). Variations Typically pongal varieties are made with cow milk and its derivatives. Venn pongal ("Venn" means hot) is made up of rice and lentil porridge similar to the another South Asian staple khichdi. Spices like black pepper, ginger, turmeric, asafoetida, cashews, cumin, cur ...
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South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area () and 20% of India's population. It is bound by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse, with two mountain ranges, the Western and Eastern Ghats, bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Penna, Tungabhadra and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water. Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kochi are the largest urban areas in the region. The majority of the people in South India speak at least one of the four major Dravidian languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. During its history, a number of dynastic kingdoms ruled ove ...
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Khichdi (dish)
''Khichdi'' or ''khichri'' (, , , , Odia language, Odia: ଖେଚୁଡି) is a dish in South Asian cuisine made of rice and lentils (''dal'') with numerous variations. Variations include Pearl millet, ''bajra'' and Mung bean, mung ''dal'' ''khichri''. In Culture of India, Indian culture, in several regions, especially in the northern areas, it is considered one of the first solid foods that babies eat. See MasterChef (American season 6), ''MasterChef'' (American season 6) Etymology and spelling The word ''Khichdī'' is derived from Sanskrit ', a dish of rice and legumes. Some divergence of transliteration may be noted in the third consonant in the word ''khicṛī''. The sound is the retroflex flap , which is written in Standard Hindi, Hindi with the Devanagari letter ⟨⟩, and in Urdu alphabet, Urdu script with the Perso-Arabic script, Perso-Arabic letter ⟨⟩. In Hindustani phonology, the etymological origin of the retroflex flap was when it occurred between vo ...
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Cardamom
Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small, black seeds; ''Elettaria'' pods are light green and smaller, while ''Amomum'' pods are larger and dark brown. Species used for cardamom are native throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. The first references to cardamom are found in Sumer, and in Ayurveda. In the 21st century, it is cultivated mainly in India, Indonesia, and Guatemala. Etymology The word ''cardamom'' is derived from the Latin , as a Latinisation (literature), Latinisation of the Greek language, Greek (), a compound of (, "Garden cress, cress") and (), of unknown origin. The earliest attested form of the word signifying "cres ...
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Jaggery
Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane juice and often Date (fruit), date or Arecaceae, palm plant sap, sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is very similar to muscovado, an important sweetener in Portuguese cuisine, Portuguese, British cuisine, British and French cuisine. Etymology Jaggery comes from Portuguese terms , , borrowed from Malayalam (), which is borrowed from Sanskrit (). It is a wikt:Appendix:Glossary#doublet, doublet of wikt:sugar#English, sugar. Origins and production Jaggery is made of the products o ...
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Coffee
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes. Typically served hot, coffee has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. Coffee production begins when the seeds from coffee cherries (the '' Coffea'' plant's fruits) are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The "beans" are roasted and then ground into fine particles. Coffee is brewed from the ground roasted beans, which are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask ...
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Coconut Chutney
Coconut chutney is a south Indian chutney, a side-dish or a condiment, common in the Indian subcontinent. The condiment is made with coconut pulp ground with other ingredients such as green chillies, tamarind, salt, coriander and water. Coconut chutney is made with both red chillies or green chillies. It is served with dosas, idli, bajji, bonda, and vada. In Karnataka, coconut chutney is also served with rice dishes such as pulao, puliyogare, tomato baath, and ''vangi baath''. See also * Kalathappam * Kinnathappam * Chammanthi podi * List of chutneys This is a list of notable chutney varieties. Chutney is a sauce and condiment in Indian cuisine, the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent and South Asian cuisine. It is made from a highly variable mixture of spices, vegetables, or fruit. Chutney o ... References Indian condiments South Indian cuisine Chutney Foods containing coconut Indo-Caribbean cuisine Sri Lankan condiments {{India-cuisine-stub ...
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Mung Beans
The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts Professional. P054. http://www.mdidea.com/products/proper/proper05402.html The mung bean is mainly cultivated in East, Southeast, and South Asia. It is used as an ingredient in both savoury and sweet dishes. Names The English names " mung" or " mungo" originated from the Hindi word (), which is derived from the Sanskrit word (). It is also known in Philippine English as " mongo bean". Other less common English names include "golden gram" and "Jerusalem pea". In other languages, mung beans are also known as * Persian : ''maash'' (ماش) *Urdu- ''mūng'' (مونگ) *Hindi- ''mūng'' (मूंग) * Punjabi- ''mūng'' (ਮੁੰਗ) * Gujarati-''mag'' (મગ) * Marathi- ''hirve mug'' (हिरवे मूग) *Konkani- ''mugā'' ...
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Ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is obtained by churning cream, skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that settles at the bottom. Spices can be added for flavor. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter, the milk used in the process, and the duration of boiling. Etymology The word ''ghee'' is borrowed from the Hindi word (''ghī''), which comes from (', ) 'clarified butter', from the root , , 'to sprinkle'; it is cognate with the Ancient Greek word (, 'rubbed, anointed'), from which the English word ''Christ'' is derived. In Hinduism Traditionally, ghee is made from bovine milk, either Cattle, cow or water buffalo, and has ...
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Curry Leaves
Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internationalised. Many dishes that would be described as curries in English are found in the native cuisines of countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia. The English word is derived indirectly from some combination of Dravidian words. A first step in the creation of curry was the arrival in India of spicy hot chili peppers, along with other ingredients such as tomatoes and potatoes, part of the Columbian exchange of plants between the Old World and the New World. During the British Raj, Anglo-Indian cuisine developed, leading to Hannah Glasse's 18th century recipe for "currey the India way" in England. Curry was then spread in the 19th century by indentured Indian sugar workers to the Caribbean, and by British traders to Japan. Further exchanges ar ...
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Cumin
Cumin (, ; ; ''Cuminum cyminum'') is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the Irano-Turanian Region. Its seeds – each one contained within a fruit, which is dried – are used in the cuisines of many cultures in both whole and ground form. Although cumin is used in traditional medicine, there is no high-quality evidence that it is safe or effective as a therapeutic agent. Etymology and pronunciation The term comes via Middle English ''comyn'', from Old English ''cymen'' (which is cognate with Old High German ''kumin'') and Old French cummin, both from the Latin term . This in turn comes from the Ancient Greek (), a Semitic languages, Semitic borrowing related to Hebrew language, Hebrew () and Arabic (). All of these ultimately derive from Akkadian language, Akkadian (). The English word is traditionally pronounced (), like "coming" with an ⟨n⟩ instead of ⟨ng⟩ (/ŋ/)."Cumin." '' A Way with Words'' (Radio broadcast/podcast). 25 October 2014. Re ...
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Cashews
Cashew is the common name of a tropical evergreen tree ''Anacardium occidentale'', in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to South America and is the source of the cashew nut and the cashew apple, an accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cultivars, growing up to , prove more profitable, with earlier maturity and greater yields. The cashew nut is edible and is eaten on its own as a snack, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The nut is often simply called a 'cashew'. The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp and juice can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or fermented and distilled into liquor. In 2023, 3.9 million tons of cashew nuts were harvested globally, led by the Ivory Coast and India. In addition to the nut and fruit, the shell yields derivatives used in lubricants, waterproofing, and paints. Description The cashew tree is large and evergreen, growing to tall, with a short, ...
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Asafoetida
Asafoetida (; also spelled asafetida) is the dried latex (Natural gum, gum oleoresin) exuded from the rhizome or tap root of several species of ''Ferula'', perennial herbs of the carrot family. It is produced in Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, southern India and Northwest China (Xinjiang). Different regions have different botanical sources. Asafoetida has a Pungency, pungent smell, as reflected in its name, lending it the common name of "stinking gum". The odour dissipates upon cooking; in cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth flavour reminiscent of leeks or other onion relatives. Asafoetida is also known colloquially as "devil's dung" in English (and similar expressions in many other languages). Etymology and other names The English language, English name is derived from ''asa'', a Romanization, Latinised form of Persian language, Persian 'mastic (plant resin), mastic', and Latin 'stinky'. Other names include, with its pungent odour having resulted in many unpleasant na ...
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