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Indian · regional cuisine

Karnataka (including Udupi, Mangalorean and Coorg)

Ragi and jowar on the plateau, the temple vegetarian food of Udupi, coconut-and-seafood cooking of Mangalore, and the pork and kachampuli of Kodagu (Coorg), all under one state.

Flavour character: Mildly sweet and sour in Udupi and Old Mysore cooking (jaggery with tamarind), bright red but moderate heat from Byadagi chillies, roasted spice-and-coconut masalas on the coast, sour-smoky kachampuli in Coorg, peanut and garlic heat in the north.

14 recipes
Top view of masala dosa with chutneys and sambar on a black background. Perfect for food photography.

History

Ragi (finger millet), which reached India from Africa in prehistoric times, became the staple of southern Karnataka. The Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, linked to the 13th-century philosopher Madhvacharya, developed a sattvic temple cuisine without onion or garlic; Udupi cooks later opened vegetarian restaurants all over India. The Wodeyar kings of Mysore gave their name to Mysore pak, commonly credited to the palace cook Kakasura Madappa. Bengaluru's Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (founded 1924) is commonly credited with rava idli during a rice shortage in the Second World War. The coast (Tulu Nadu) has Bunt, Mangalorean Catholic, GSB Konkani and Beary Muslim cooking, and the Kodava people of Kodagu have their own hunting- and rice-based food.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

Geography and influences

The Deccan plateau (Old Mysore and North Karnataka), the Malnad hills and coffee estates of the Western Ghats (Kodagu, Chikmagalur), and the Karavali coast around Mangalore and Udupi.

  • Udupi Madhva temple cooking
  • Mysore royal court
  • Tulu, Konkani and Mangalorean Catholic coastal communities
  • Kodava hill culture
  • Maratha and Bijapur Sultanate influence in the north

Regional variations

Udupi
Temple vegetarian food without onion or garlic: saaru, huli, gojju, kosambari, payasa; served on banana leaves.
Mangalorean (Tulu Nadu)
Bunt chicken and fish gassi with kori rotti, Catholic pork bafat and sannas, GSB patrode, neer dosa, ghee roast.
Kodava (Coorg)
Pandi (pork) curry soured with kachampuli, kadambuttu, akki otti, bamboo-shoot curry, wild mushrooms.
Old Mysore and Bengaluru
Ragi mudde, bisi bele bath, masala dosa, Mysore pak, darshini breakfasts.
North Karnataka
Jowar rotti, ennegai (stuffed brinjal), shenga (peanut) chutney powder, Dharwad pedha.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Ugadi: bevu-bella (neem and jaggery) and holige / obbattu
  • Makar Sankranti: ellu-bella (sesame, jaggery, dry coconut, roasted gram and peanuts) and sakkare acchu sugar figures
  • Ganesh Chaturthi: modaka and kadubu
  • Kodava Puthari (rice harvest, Nov–Dec) and Kailpodh (September): pandi curry with kadambuttu
  • Mysore Dasara

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Bisi bele bath, Ragi mudde with bassaru, Mysore pak, Neer dosa, Mangalore buns, Goli baje, Kane rava fry, Chicken ghee roast, Patrode, Kori rotti, Holige / obbattu, Dharwad pedha, Jolada rotti with ennegai, Maddur vade, Rava idli, Kadambuttu

Karnataka (including Udupi, Mangalorean and Coorg) recipes

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