Cuisine of Tirupati

The spices mostly used in the city includes Chili, Cardamom, Curry leaves, Black Pepper, Mustard Seeds, Peanuts, Coconut, Coconut Milk, Tomato, Tamarind, Ginger, etc. Rice is the main food item served in South India. The dishes served in this area include both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Non vegetarian dishes are prohibited in the holy place.

In south India the food is served on banana leaves and the sitting arrangements are done in traditional style. The items in the thali served include daddojanam (curd rice), pulihora (tamarind rice), vada and chakkara-pongal (sweet pongal), miryala-pongali, Appam, Payasam, Jaggery, Murukku, Dosa and seera (kesari). People in India believe in eating food in temple especially ‘sweet rice’ to get the blessing of God.

Big or small laddu is given as Prasad in Venkateshwara temple prepared using gram flour, Sugar, Cashew nuts, Cardamom, Ghee, Oil, Sugar candy, Raisins and Almonds.

Taste the real food of Andhra by eating spicy Andhra thali. The items served in tempting thali includes rice in the middle, sambar, rasam-broth soup, a curry dish, pickles, poriyal (a cauliflower stew with dried chillies and mustard seeds) and kurma, a creamy coconut milk and vegetable stew. As add-ons crispy papadum and a dosa are served. The spicy rava kichadi is a main dish served in thali.

In South India the cultivation of rice is more so it is the main dish of most of the South Indian cities. Tirupati you get variety of rice dishes served along with stew like bisibele bhath (Rice dish) is a hearty rice and lentil stew prepared with carrots and green beans, the coconut chutney with black mustard seed and biryani (Rice dish) using all spices like cardamom, clove, cinnamon, etc along with vegetables. Other famous rice dishes are Curd rice, Lemon rice, Tomato rice and Tamarind rice. The other famous dish in the city is Pongal Vada prepared using flecked rice stew with black peppercorns, black mustard seeds, curry leaves and cashews.

To enjoy the city with its hot and humid weather try the beverages prepared using curd and mouth watering flavors. Lip smacking Mango Lassi, Badam Milk and Masala paal are rich and creamy and worth trying at least once. These cool beverages will definitely help you resist the heat of spicy food and weather.

The city has many restaurants and stalls that serve both authentic South Indian meal and Multi cuisine dishes. The holy and peaceful place has no bars and pubs and drinking and smoking at this place is considered a taboo.