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.

Typical meals

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.

Dishes

Rice is the staple food of most Tamil people. It is generally used during lunch and sometimes dinner. Choru is served along with other food items such as sambar, poriyal, rasam, kootu and curd.

Breakfast Dishes

Idli is a steamed rice-cake prepared with fermented batter or rice and black gram. It is usually served with different kinds of traditional dishes such as chutney, sambhar or vadacurry.

Dosai is prepared from a fermented batter and black gram with a small quantity of sambar or chutney. Several varieties like saada dosai, kal dosai, muttai dosai, neer dosai, rava dosai and paasi paruppu dosai are prominently available in Tamil Nadu.

Vadai is based on the ingredients used and served along with idlis.

Pongal is a traditional cuisine where rice is cooked in a matki with water and milk. The word (pongal) directly translates to the action of boiling over the container due to the starch.

Paniyaram is used to make dosa.

Appam is prepared with a fermented batter of rice and black gram mixture. Appam generally has thin corners with a soft center.

Uthappam is a dosa-based dish that is slightly thick, fluffy, and soft. It can be made from regular idli/dosai batter.

Puttu is a steamed, layered, cylindrical cake made from flour or rice.

Kozhakkattai is a steamed dumpling made with rice flour.

Sevai or idiyappam are rice noodles usually in steamed rice cakes.

Adai is prepared with a mixtures of vegetables. It contains fiber and calcium. It is used as a recipe by the Tamil people.

Side dishes

Sambar is a lentil-based vegetable stew or chowder made with tamarind, broth and freshly grounded spices.

Chutney varieties consumed by the people are coconut chutney, onion chutney, tomato chutney, corriander chutney, kara chutney, garlic chutney and puli chutney.

Thogaiyal is a wet ground paste that contains several ingredients.

Drinks

Coffee is the most popular beverage. Its preparation is generally done with gourmet coffee beans. The preparation of filter coffee is a ritual. Sometimes chicory is added to enhance the aroma. Hot milk with sugar and a small quantity of decoction is then served in a tumbler set, a traditional coffee cup.

Koozh is also known as Congee or (rice congee).

Sharbat is a drink made from fruits or petal flowers.

Paanakam is a drink made from lemon juice, jaggery, dried ginger and cardamom.