Eating Right in Chennai

Sampling South Indian Cuisine

If you’re watching your calories, then Chennai is both a treat for the palate and the figure.  Unlike the cholesterol-choked cuisine of the North, the food here is lighter and healthier.  Baking, steaming, and roasting are the favored culinary methods, and even the spicy chutneys and accompaniments that traditionally go with idlis (steamed rice cakes), and appams (steamed rice cakes again, but with a different kind of rice) contain lesser quantities of oil.  A traditional Chennai breakfast consists of carbohydrate- and protein-rich idlis or dosas (a crisp brown roasted wafer thin pancake) served with piping hot sambar (a thick and aromatic vegetable broth), and freshly ground mint and coconut chutney.  Chennai’s other specialty is its thali meal.  Diners can enjoy a selection of dishes which include rice, dal, vegetables, Indian breads, and curd served on plantain leaves.  

Filter Coffee

Unlike their tea-guzzling cousins in the North, South Indians are loyal coffee drinkers, and Chennai has an especially strong fascination with the dark brew.  Coffee drinking here is an important social custom, and the brewing process is taken very seriously.  The local coffee is called Madras Chennai Filter Coffee, and is unique to the region.  Gourmet Arabica coffee beans are roasted and ground up, and chicory is added to enhance the flavor.  The strong fragrant brew is then filtered and served in a mug three quarters full of hot milk and some sugar.  This isn’t your average latte, and drinkers can look forward to 24 hours of bright eyed wakefulness.  

Protect Your Stomach While Rewarding Your Taste Buds

Indian food is traditionally based on flavorsome spices; if you can’t handle spicy curries or have never sampled the blander versions of Indian cuisine abroad, stay away from them at all costs.  The local “more authentic” dishes are fierier.  If you overindulge at a meal, finish with curd or yogurt (available upon request) as each naturally aids digestion.  Unless you are at a well run, exceptionally clean, and hygienic restaurant, drink only bottled water, mineral water, bottled drinks, tea, coffee, or beer, as tap water is not always treated properly.