Karnataka`s cuisine is characterised by distinct textures, flavors and tastes. The states vast culinary repertoire encompasses the earthy flavors of North Karnataka, the traditional fare of South Karnataka, the spicy dishes of the coastal region and the distinctive Kodava cuisine.

Broadly speaking, the South has a common order, and the arrangement of food items on the banana leaf used for eating is similar in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

In Karnataka, after the rice is served, tiny mouthfuls of it are tasted mixed with the Kosamri, vegetables (palya, cooked in many ways) and tovve ( yellow, almost unseasoned dhal) already in position on the plate. Then the body of the rice on which ghee has been poured, is eaten with huli and other mixed vegetables (gojju, kootu, morkozhambu, kura), followed by more rice eaten with a spicy thin dhal extract (saaru, rasam, chaaru, pulusu). In Karnataka, substitutes for rice and huli could be one of several pre-spiced rice dishes like chitrana (lime rice) or bisibele-huli-anna (in Tamil- sambha sadam). Now comes the sweet, which could be a payasam, or kesaribath (a sweet flavoured wheat or rice), or a solid sweet like Mysore-pak or jilebi. Meanwhile, bits will be pinched off the salty snacks, vade, bonda or even idli, and munched. And finally to soothe the plate will come rice with curds or buttermilk served either separately or sometimes as a pre-mixed preparation (mosaru-anna, thayirsadham).