Every region in India has its own distinct cuisine. So does the Kongu region. Most of us are not even aware of the wide range that it offers. Giving the audience an insight into the origin and evolution of Kongu cuisine was the founder and page administrator of the Facebook page Kovai Foodies, Lalitha Gautam. She was delivering a special lecture at a meeting organized by the Vanavarayar Foundation at Sri Purandra Dasar Kalaiarangam.

Her talk traced the evolution of Kongu cuisine. She also brought to light how the cuisine from this region spread across the world. These days, people everywhere have started to include millets in their diet due to its health benefits. Lalitha said that millets were originally part of the Kongu diet. “Millets, which are now becoming popular again, are nothing but our very own Kongu food. Because of their newfound popularity, millets are used in almost all the cuisines around the world today,” she said.

Her talk was a careful balance of information on the history of Kongu foods and the various health benefits it offers. Her audience consisted of homemakers, school and college kids, working professionals, and senior citizens.

Following the lecture, there was an interactive session which discussed Kongu recipes like Arisi parupu sadam, Thakkali kuzhambu, and Kali among others.