HYDERABAD: Telangana and Andhra Pradesh may share borders and its regional language, but the similarities between the two States end there. Both have different cultures, traditions and cuisines, and although the items on the menu sound similar, their preparation and style is unlike the other. Telangana’s cuisine is rustic and carries its heritage through the simplicity in its food. It shouldn’t be confused with the other.
Sukumar Das, a Telangana-based entrepreneur who owns Vertical World Aerosports and Adventure Village, is opening eateries at the venue that specialises in offering only rural Telangana food. He says although Telangana and Andhra cuisines have a few dishes in common, they vary for the most part. “People often think that Telangana food is spicy. Telangana dishes do not have much spice, it has a balance of spices and sourness.”
He also says the food should not be confused with the Hyderabadi cuisine as it has the influence of the Nizams and doesn’t have the essence of the authentic Telangana food. “Dishes such as haleem and mirchi ka salan are only known in the city. As a State, we share boundaries with so many other States, this influences our food making it hard to find authentic Telangana food,” he says. One of the main differences is that while in Andhra people eat seafood more, in Telangana it is mutton.
According to food blogger Vaibhav Mittal (@ foodtrails_hyderabad), in Andhra cuisine you will find steamed rice, while people in Telangana prefer flatbread. “Traditional Telangana meals have flat breads such as jonna rotte and sajja rotte, curries with bold flavours such as red chilli (korivi karam), tamarind, sesame seeds and coconut.” The pickles too are different — in Andhra they use partially-dried mangoes and raw sesame oil, whereas in Telangana we use raw mangoes and peanut oil, which is heated and cooled down, he says.
The simplicity of Telangana food lies in its minimalism, says Maseera Fatima. (@maseerasfoodblog). “Pachi pulusu is a must. A few popular Telangana foods are sarva pindi, sakinalu, rail palaram, attu and chikkudukaya curry, ariselu and karijelu.” Food blogger Mohammed Zubair Ali, who runs Hyderabad Food Diaries (@hyderabad.food.dairies) says the authentic Telangana cuisine is not a diminishing one. “It is still popular among households. Some are now serving only authentic Telangana cuisine,” he says.