Cuisine of Telengana is one of the regional variations of Telegu cuisine. It is renowned for being one of the spiciest among all Indian cuisines. Cuisine of Telengana comprises of variety of food ranging from vegetarian to non-vegetarian dishes.
Generally, people of Telengana love to consume their food not just piping hot but also doused in chillies. So, most of their foods are flavoured by different spices and herbs like red hot chillies, red chilly powder, garam masala, tamarinds, peanuts and sesame seeds. Even their pickles are comparatively hotter.
The cuisine of this part of Andhra Pradesh has been influenced by Persian and Afghan cuisine. Telangana was under the rule of Muslim kings for quite a long time. In the districts of northern Telangana, the cuisine has dishes similar to those of Maharashtra like Kadi. And also due to Telangana`s close proximity with Chhattisgarh and North Karnataka, Jowar and Bajra features more prominently in their cuisine.
Food of Telangana
Corn and jowar are the two staple cereals of Telangana. This features in the form of Makka Gatka which is thick corn porridge. This place produces some unique dishes like Jonna Rotte, Sajja Rotte, or Uppudi Pindi. Golichina Mamsam and Talakaya Koora are other popular dishes of this region. Chakinalu also called Sakinalu is another popular dish of this region which is mostly prepared during Makar Sankranti.
Other regional delicacies include - Ooru Kodi Pulusu, and Jellela Pulusu. Vadiyala Pulusu spicy gravy with dumplings and curd rice along with the ash gourd delicacy known as Gummadi Kaya Halwa are quite popular. Seasonal mango rice is an authentic dish seen in Telengana. Other non spicy items include: Asifjahi Dastar Khaan, Dum ki biryani and the cashew nut gravy Nizami Handi.
Food Festival of Telangana
Every year, the traditional Telangana food festival is organised where people get the opportunity to taste variety of dishes. This festival is organised on the eve of Dasara by the Prathima multiplex. The festival is popular for drawing huge crowds in Karimnagar.
At this festival, the food lovers can relish myriad food items ranging from starter to main course. It offers snacks like sattu pindi, garelu, sakinalu, garjelu, laddu and starters such as tomato shorwa, nalla miryala shorwa, ambali. Traditional Telagnana mutton curry, Mutton Pulao, Kodi Pulao, Komzu Pitta roast, Talakaya Kura, mutton liver fry can also be seen in this festival. And those who are strictly vegetarian can pamper their tongue by gorging on dosakaya pappu, tomato kura, pachi pulusu, and salla charu to name a few.
