Madurai Authentic Food - madurai tourism

Madurai is often fondly called the food capital of Tamilnadu. The choice of food is varied and places to eat numerous. There plenty of small restaurants, street side food vendors and good restaurants. The restaurants serve a mind boggling variety of dishes right from traditional banana leaf lunch to various items from the international food scene. One can find everything in madurai right from samosas and gulab jamuns that come form north india, idiyapams from kerela, Bengali fish curry, various kinds of chaats, to Italian style Margarheita Pizzas, sizzlers, fish and chips and even the much hackneyed chinese food!

Madurai’s own cuisine however comprises of the well known and world famous dishes- dosai, idli, pongal, vadai, sambar, chutney, poriyal etc. Apart from this Madurai also has its own version dishes that originally come from other parts of India i.e. parota-kurma, aloo/channa poori, upma etc. People here are mostly rice eaters. The food in Madurai is normally cooked in standard edible oil, using good amounts of spices and condiments. In fact, Madurai food is famous world over for its uniqueness and taste. The very famous idli shop- Murugan idli which now has branches even outside india, originatd in Madurai. It is said that the popular chicken 65 also originated in Madurai. Some of the common ingredients used in the food are lettuce leaves, carrots, brinjal,onions, tomatoes, potatoes, okra, tomato and cauliflower. Spices include turmeric, cloves, mint powder/ leaves, garlic, fenugreek, curry leaves, dried red chillies, mustard seeds etc.

People form various parts of the world are tempted to try out madurai cuisine, even though it is quite elaborate. Madurai is also known for its filter (decoction) coffee. Apart form being popular among tourists, it is popular among students too as it apparently keeps them awake to study during exams! Besides, the city is also famous for its drinks such as Paruthipaal and Jil Jil Jigarthanda. Paruthi is made from coconut, raw rice, flour and jaggery. Jigarthanda is a cool drink loved by the people of the city. Jil Jil refers to the cheerfulnesss it brings, Jigar refers to the heart and Thanda referes to the much needed coolness during summer months. Other beverages like masal tea are also readily available.

Madurai has a large vegetarian population but non vegetarian food is available in abundance without any inconvenience. If one is feeling adventurous, one can try the street food- boiled ground nuts, corn on the cob, sweet potato, stylishly sliced raw mango with chili powder, hard boiled toffees, pickles of all kinds, local candy, savouries etc.