Culture of Mysore - Cuisine

Cuisine

The cuisine of Mysore resembles to a large extent the Udupi cuisine. Rice is the staple food item used in cooking and various spices are also used. A breakfast mostly includes dishes made of rice of which idli and dosa are prevalent. Vada is another popular breakfast item mostly prepared only in hotels. Other popular breakfast dishes include shavige bath (spicy dish made of vermicelli), rava idli, oggarane avalakki (seasoned beaten rice), Pongal and Poori. A lunch or dinner spread generally includes steamed rice, chutney, sambar, pickle, curry, gojju (a sweet curry), rasam, papad and curds. Some of the rice based dishes that form a part of the lunch are Bisi bele bath (a spicy rice preparation with vegetables), vangi baath (rice mixed with brinjal curry), chitranna (rice mixed with seasoning, turmeric and lemon juice or raw mango scrapes) and Puliyogare. Chapati is another lunch item preferred nowadays. In formal occasions like marriage, the food is served on a plantain leaf and would include additional items like sweets and Kosambari apart from the ones mentioned above. Some of the popular sweet dishes are rave unde (sweet balls made of semolina and coconut scrapes), ladoo, payasam, Mysore Pak and jalebi. It is customary to eat adike (arecanut) with betel leaf after the lunch/dinner. Coffee (Indian filter coffee) is the preferred beverage in homes. Some of the snacks that are prevalent here are chakkuli, khara mandakki (spicy puffed rice), churmuri and kodubale (a doughnut shaped spicy snack made of fried semolina). In the last few years, chaat, pizzas and items belonging to Indian Chinese cuisine have become popular mostly with the younger generation. Mysore has also lent its name to the sweet-dish Mysore Pak and the Mysore Masala Dosa.