Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh (ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశం in Telugu) (Āndhra Prādesh), is a state in south-eastern India and is part of the linguistic-cultural region of South India. It lies between 12°41' and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40'E longitude, and is bounded by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Orissa in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, Tamil Nadu to the south and Karnataka to the west. Andhra Pradesh is the fifth largest state in India and it forms the major link between the north and the south of India. It is the biggest and most populous state in the south of India. It is considered the rice bowl of India. The state is crisscrossed by two major rivers, the Godavari and Krishna. ("Pradesh" means "region" or "state".)

Food

The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is reputedly the spiciest of all Indian cuisine. Foods include both the original spicy Andhra cooking and Muslim influenced Hyderabadi cuisine.

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Pickles and chutneys are particularly popular in Andhra Pradesh and many varieties of pickles and chutneys are unique to the state. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable including tomatoes, brinjals and an aromatic green called 'Gongura'. A mango pickle, 'Avakkaya', is probably the best known of the Andhra pickles.

Related Topics:
Pickle - Chutney - Gongura

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Rice is the staple diet and is used in a wide variety of ways. Some typicals rice dishes are: boiled and eaten with curry, dried and powdered for use in a pancake like dish called dosas, and rice cakes called idlis. Meat, vegetables and greens are prepared with different masalas into a variety of strongly flavoured dishes.

Related Topics:
Dosa - Idli

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Hyderabadi cuisine, influenced by the Muslim invaders from the North West of India centuries ago, is rich and aromatic with a liberal use of exotic spices and ghee, not to speak of nuts and dry fruits. Lamb, chicken and fish are the most widely used meats in the non-vegetarian dishes. The biryanis are perhaps the most distinctive and popular of Hyderabadi dishes.

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