Telangana cuisine on an all time high

You may call it the gourmet fallout post bifurcation of the state. In the last two months quite a few food joints have come up in the city that specialise in Telangana cuisines. People are now expressing themselves in every possible way, be it in sporting the Telangana Gongadi (blanket made from the Deccani sheep) or gorging on the Telangana delicacies such as Boti- made from the visceral parts of the lamb, Nalli Mamsam Vepudu (mutton, bone marrow fry).

Telangana cuisine has its own place and it is now that people are openly embracing the food. It is an extension of projecting one’s identity. “People throughout the world eat visceral parts and they form an integral part of Telangana cuisine. The Boti Fry and curry are popular dishes. They might not have been on a hotel’s menu but are now finding their way,” says Francis, manager of Palamuru Grills, Madhapur.

Telangana dishes started becoming popular during the agitation for a separate state. Prabakar Reddy, MD, Palamuru Grills says, “There is this Palamuru speciality- raw mutton is grilled with minimum spices that is special and is eaten during the annual Kurumurthy Jatara. We have this at the restaurant and we get the mutton from Palamuru. It has become a hit especially with the IT crowd.”

Another delicacy that has become the talking point is the Pottel Pachadi. A pickle made out of mutton. N Parmesh, chef of Palamuru Grills says that IT employees flock to the restaurant on weekends to savour the Pottel Pachadi.

In Secunderabad, close to the railway station is Telangana Ruchulu which serves T delicacies. “People from nearby districts make sure they visit the restaurant if not to eat but just out of curiosity. You will not find Boti Manchuria anywhere in the city. We make sure that our customers get to taste authentic Telangana dishes,” says Suraj, the owner.

Not only are T dishes becoming popular but a number of centres that serve T snacks also are coming up. In AS Rao Nagar, Country Pizza, a restaurant, serves pancakes made with sarve pindi (the dough comprises rice flour with a variety of spices), a typical Telangana snack that is catching on. Raghu, a resident of Annupuram says, “People have almost forgotten the art of making rotis with sarve pindi and jowar. It is a staple food in the villages of Telangana but now is making a comeback in the city.”

Millets, too, are popular in Telangana and restaurants have started offering millet-based soups and sauce.