What do Andhra Cuisines Teach us?

Andhra Pradesh is a cauldron of bomb flavors that hit the right nerves – all the time. Andhraites have found an antidote to the conundrum of this world, and that’s how they are lovely, sorted, inviting, and hospitable. They live by the philosophy of food. From Guntur’s Gongura Pacchadi, Nellore’s Chapala Pulusu, Tirupati’s Laddoo, Kakinada’s Khaja, Kadapa’s Karam Dosa to Ongole’s Pessarattu, and – in general, Andhra Meals – there are multiple options for food connoisseurs here. But are there any other real-life takeaways from food, apart from the food itself? What does Andhra cuisine teach us? Let’s observe!

1. When you don’t feel like working, even chutney (condiment; used in small quantity) efforts matter. Name any vegetable – Sorrel (Gongura), Brinjal, Tomato, Onion, Ginger, Ridge Gourd – there is a chutney spinoff for it in Andhra Pradesh. It is as much part of a meal as the staple, rice. Sweet-tangy-spicy variables are ground with whole spices to resonate with your happy hormones. Imagine tickling your taste buds with such combinations — every single day as a part of your routine!

2. No matter your development and learnings, keep heeding to your roots; your unresolved queries have answers there. Upma, Dosa and Idli are breakfast beauties that remain a classic in the contemporary world. You call an Andhraite for Dosa, they will come rushing. In the vast expanse of the Milky Way, even a shadow of these dishes comfort Andhraites.

3. Simple outside, Poothrekulu seems fragile, but it is a sea-full of purity, flavour, and crunch from inside. Pootharekulu is made up of two telugu words: ‘pootha’ meaning ‘coating’ and ‘reku’ (plural of rekulu) meaning ‘sheet’. This GI tagged sweet from Atreyapuram also depicts intangible aspects of life: at a moment, so inviting, so shiny; other moment, nothing. This melt-in-mouth and addictive sweet’s recipe also depicts great deal of patience. It became famous when women started making it in homes using left-over starch and other ingredients, and male-members of the village well-marketed it. Today, it supports around 400 families in Atreyapuram and others outside.

4. Guntur Chilly is a hot favourite in Andhra cuisine. Who said people pleasing will earn you accolades and approvals? You can be fiery Guntur Chilli, and yet earn a GI tag.

While on a road trip, a pungent aroma triggers my senses. As I rub my eyes open, sight of red chillis, drying in fields in the middle of green backdrop occupies my glance only for a brief cadence. But this moment gets reserved in a nook of my memory. 

Never in Andhra ask for a spicy meal; your entry here comes with a warning! Spicy food is common throughout the state, but Rayalaseema region has a notorious image for it. Since Andhra Pradesh is one among the hottest states in India, people in old times used more chilly for their preservation and perspiration properties. Now, even after modern inventions, this trend continues. 

5. Loaded with protein, Pessarattu is often jokingly pitted against its cousin dosa, but Andhraites cannot deny that even greens can be warriors. It is often seen winning on the breakfast battlefield. Sometimes, in some walks of life, we all have to choose Pesarattu feelings – healthy twists to defeat cravings. Also, what palayam (Spicy Mashed Potato) is to dosa, Upma is for Pesarattu. This odd fusion is sometimes a part of the prattle, nonetheless appreciated and well-savored. 

6. Anticipation and patience are hard feelings to live by, but once that time is over, there is a shiny garden of Gutti Vankaya waiting for you. Similarly, in life, not all things are available at easy disposal; it might take years for them to build, but the results turn out to be worth the wait.  

7. Make yourself so important that you become irreplaceable. The statement doesn’t hold in corporate terminology these days, but true here with Andhra’s staple food: rice. Come here for an exceptional road trip. Andhra’s bucolic scene is rife with paddy crops that sing and sway in praise of the ‘Rice Bowl of India’. As you feel hungry take a pitstop in one of the roadside restaurants for a fulfilling Andhra meal.

8. Rasam teaches us to be a minimalist. Jump into the flavourful pool of tomato, pepper, and garlic rasam. Backed with powerful recovery spices – such as ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fenugreek, mustard – this soup is an idiosyncratic mix of thoughtful energies that resolve to bring harmony to your life.

9. Adjust to the burning summer and bring equanimity in somebody’s life like our rustic and nutritious, Ragi Ganji and Ragi Sangati. Ragi Ganji is a 2-minute drink, made by mixing and heating ragi powder and water/milk. With 2023 declared as the ‘International Year of Millets,’ Ragi is slowly finding its way back in kitchens for its innumerable health benefits. 

10. Just like Jonna Rottelu, be a team player. Don’t fret about mixing with others, and always remember that being healthy is not boring. Another millet recipe, Jonna rottelu, or Sorghum flatbread, is an unleavened staple bread of Rayalaseema (a region in Andhra) and is well-paired with Nune Vankaya (a type of brinjal curry) and Gongura Pappu (Sorrel Pulse). On its own, it brings a wealth of medicinal properties and is super tasty. 

Andhra’s palm-fringed coasts, happily swaying sunflower fields, singing paddy and sorghum, hanging tamarind, umbrella-like banana plantations, and elusive groundnuts, speak much about the state’s preferences. Following colonization, South Indian states remained mostly aloof from westernization; they continued their habit of eating with hands, which give a sensory touch to the food. Whole family sits together for dinner, preferably on floor, cross-legged. It’s like a symposium of talks – who brings what to the table kind. Listening to these lores is in itself an invitation; if you see an Andhraite eating, you can not stop yourself from asking for it.