Twitter User Shares Funny Origin Stories Of Famous Dishes From South Indian Cuisine

South Indian cuisine is probably the one thing that could bring me back from the dead (if and when I ever die i.e.). The crispy dosas, spicy chutneys, soft as a cloud idlis, mouthwatering appams where you get the best of both worlds… Oh, the list can go on and on and on… They are also widely known to be extremely healthy. Basically, you could say they are the ‘sanskari’ elements in our Indian cuisine.

However, as it turns out, they might actually have a not-so-sanskari origin story.

Twitter user Peeleraja made hilarious revelations about the South Indian cuisine in a series of expose-style tweets. He began with the dosa.

Turns out, the dosa is the product of a bunch of brahmin temple cooks looking for a high:

Dosa has an interesting origin. It was called "dosha" meaning "sin"

Deprived of alcohol, some brahmin temple cooks thought they could get high on fermented rice. Kinda like saki. But their experiment failed. To salvade it one of them made fried crepes out of it

— Yes please? (@peeleraja) October 16, 2018

Would you look at that! Not so sanskari after all.

He also revealed the reason behind why the dosa tavas are never washed:

Many of you may be aware that dosa griddles or pans are never washed. This adds flavor of old dosa to new ones. The process is not unlike how old oaken casks are used tp mature wine and whiskey

— Yes please? (@peeleraja) October 16, 2018

Science yo!

And dosa’s partner-in-crime chutney also has a little secret behind its name:

Disa's complement – Chutney was invented in karnataka and derives its etymology from "chata" which is kannad for "bad habit." Refers to minor bad habits like biting nails or shaking legs while seated.

So a "dosha" or sin must be accompanied by "chata" or bad habit

— Yes please? (@peeleraja) October 16, 2018

Guess how the idli came into existence?

One batch of dosa batter had been fermented too much. It was stinking up the Adigas' kitchen. One of the adigas simply steamed it into fluffy little dumplings and asked "yelli idli?" meaning "where should i keep it?" in kannad

That is how the humble "idli" got its name

— Yes please? (@peeleraja) October 16, 2018

Oh, you poor fluffy delicious goodness!

And as we all know, dosa is often accompanied by the sambar which is widely believed to be a South Indian speciality.

However, it might be time to pop that bubble:

Kannad culinary purists still do not eat sambhar with idli or dosa. Only chutney. The sambhar was a product of Maratha invaders much later on

— Yes please? (@peeleraja) October 16, 2018

Ahem ahem!

The dosa and idli then travelled to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where they took on a new avatar:

The dosa and idli traveled to Kerala and TN. In kerala, Christian priests or "fathers" made a hybrid of idli and dosa. A pancake like dosa but fluffy like idli in the middle. It was called "appam" i.e. "of the fathers"

Appa is the common word for father in south india.

— Yes please? (@peeleraja) October 16, 2018

So technically speaking, the dosa, idli and appam are all cousins. The mouthwatering offsprings of a bunch of brahmin cooks desperate for a kick. Kind of makes me appreciate them more, you know?