Rayalaseema
The generally arid region of Rayalaseema follows the Andhra style of cooking, using a lot of chilli, Chicken and mutton are used in abundance and these go well with ‘jonna rotte (Jowari roti)’ or ‘sangati’- rice spprinkled with ‘ragi’ powder while in the last stages of boiling. The four districts of the region Chittoor, Cuddapah, Anantapur and kurnool were very much part of the erstwhile Vijayanagar empire and the region is named after the ruling ‘Rayas’ of that kingdom.
While Chittoor, the southern district of the region, borders Tamil Nadu and is influenced by the cuisine there, Anantapur and kurnool are on the Karnataka border. In Karnataka, pure ragi is cooked to make a semi-solid mass. But in Anantapur and Kurnool, rice is the main ingredient for Sangati to which a little bit of salt is added with the ragi powder being sprinkled abundantly while stirring the rice that is in the final stages of cooking. This is generally eaten with a lot of ghee so that it does not stick to the fingers.
The accompaniments to sangati and jowari roti are dal and chutney or pickle for the vegetarians and mutton or chicken curry for the non-vegetarians. In contrast to the Hyderabadi cooking, the ‘dal’ preparations in Rayalaseema are not watery but a thick mass. It is said in a lighter veing that if one throws a handful of cooked dal at the ceiling, it will remain stuck there.
While Chittoor, the southern district of the region, borders Tamil Nadu and is influenced by the cuisine there, Anantapur and kurnool are on the Karnataka border. In Karnataka, pure ragi is cooked to make a semi-solid mass. But in Anantapur and Kurnool, rice is the main ingredient for Sangati to which a little bit of salt is added with the ragi powder being sprinkled abundantly while stirring the rice that is in the final stages of cooking. This is generally eaten with a lot of ghee so that it does not stick to the fingers.
The accompaniments to sangati and jowari roti are dal and chutney or pickle for the vegetarians and mutton or chicken curry for the non-vegetarians. In contrast to the Hyderabadi cooking, the ‘dal’ preparations in Rayalaseema are not watery but a thick mass. It is said in a lighter veing that if one throws a handful of cooked dal at the ceiling, it will remain stuck there.
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