Belgaum Kunda

Belgaum, known as the 'sugar bowl of Karnataka' is famous for its karadantu, 'cycle' khova, mandige and of course, kunda! In fact, the city is also called Kundagiri after this delectable sweet made from fresh milk, sugar and spices.   According to the locals, the origin of this sweet can be traced back to Gajanan Mithaiwala of Vitthal... Continue Reading →

Belgaum Mandige (Mandaka)

Besides the eponymous karadantu, Belagavi is known for mandige or mande which is essentially a wafer-thin roomali like roti folded like a dosa filled with sugar, ghee and spices. According to historians, an inscription of 1121 CE of the Western Chalukya dynasty has mentioned that during the reign of Vikramaditya VI, Govinda-dandadhipa started the tradition of... Continue Reading →

Karadantu of Gokak and Aminagad

One of the healthiest and scrumptious sweets of North Karnataka is karadantu made in Gokak in Belgaum district and Aminagad in Bagalkot district. This teatime snack is made from dried fruits and nuts, jaggery (gur), a binder known locally as antu, spices and others.   There are two versions on how this delightful sweet was created. Some... Continue Reading →

Mangalore Buns (Banana Buns or Banana Pooris)

Udupi - Mangaluru is a food connoisseur's haven with a staggering variety of delicious, unusual and scrumptious local snacks. A trip to this stretch of Karnataka is deemed complete only if one samples the tasty Mangalore buns, goli baje, uppit shira, sajjige bajil, khara roti and biscuit roti.   The origin of the Mangalore buns is a bit... Continue Reading →

Maddur Vada

A high point of a road trip to Mysuru is a slight deviation to Melkote to sample their divine butter and delicious puliyogare and a must-have Maddur vada with a piping hot cup of filter coffee at Maddur. Maddur, formerly known as Marudhur during the glorious reign of the Hoysala kings lies on the banks of... Continue Reading →

Dharwad Mango (Dharwad Alphonso)

Dharwad, popularly known as the Mango City of Karnataka and South India is famous for its sinfully sweet and delectable Alphonso mango. Besides Alphonso, Pairi, Totapuri and Dasheri is also grown in this belt in North Karnataka.   It is estimated that over 25,000 hectares of land is under mango cultivation in this district. Small and... Continue Reading →

Koppal Guava

It is perhaps not known to many that India is the largest producer of guava in the world with an average annual production of around 21 MT. Though a fair portion of the annual produce is consumed as a table fruit, Indian guava varieties are ideally suited for manufacturing fruit pulp, puree, juice, syrup, flavoured... Continue Reading →

Soraba Pineapple (Shivamogga Pineapple)

Shimoga (Shivamogga), popularly called the 'Rice Bowl of Karnataka' is a picture-perfect lush green landscape dotted with waterfalls, paddy fields and palm groves. The waters of the Tungabhadra, Sharavati, Varada and Kumudavathi rivers and fertile alluvial soil contribute largely to the excellent agricultural produce of this district.   Shimoga district is famous for its paddy,... Continue Reading →

Chintamani Tomato (Chikkaballapur Tomato)

It is perhaps not known to many that Chintamani in the newly created Chikkaballapur district in Karnataka has some of the best agricultural produce of South India. Mangoes, bananas, peanuts, dairy products, bitter gourd, avarekai, sarsaparilla juice (nannari sharbat) and tomatoes are transported to the markets of nearby Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu as... Continue Reading →

Mizo Passion Fruit

The geo-climatic condition of Mizoram has contributed largely to the wide variety of rich and assorted flora and fauna seen here. With agriculture being the mainstay of the people of Mizoram, exotic fruits, vegetables, spices, rice and others are grown here using the age-old method of jhum cultivation. Orange, banana, tomato, beans, brinjal, peas, squash,... Continue Reading →

Totapuri Mango

One of the best midseason mangoes is Totapuri that is found largely in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Interestingly Totapuri also known as Ginimoothi Mavinakayi in Kannada literally translates to parrot's beak (face)!   Totapuri is cultivated in the Rayalaseema region (Chittoor, Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool districts) of Andhra Pradesh, Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu and... Continue Reading →

Coorg Pepper

Popularly known as 'The King of Spices' or 'Black Gold', black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) is one of the most important spices of India, valued highly for its medicinal properties. India is the largest producer and consumer of this ancient spice that is used in a variety of cuisines, in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines... Continue Reading →

Coorg Orange

Kodagu district is known for its exceptional biodiversity and though it is a major coffee growing region located in the Western Ghats with more than 50 percent of the agricultural land essentially coffee estates, native crops like pepper, cardamom, orange and rice are equally famous. The dense forest cover that spreads across more than half... Continue Reading →

Coorg Green Cardamom

An exotic variety of green cardamom, often known as the 'Queen of Spices' has been cultivated in Coorg, on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats on the Karnataka - Kerala state border for centuries. This native variety known locally as malay yalakki is a variety of the Malabar category and is grown by a... Continue Reading →

Marathwada Kesar Mango

Kesar is one of the finest varieties of Indian mangoes and much sought-after in domestic and international markets. Marathwada Kesar mango finds its origin in the Valsad district of Gujarat though the famed Kesar mango was first cultivated in Junagadh district. Kesar mango has been cultivated in the Marathwada district for centuries. It has often... Continue Reading →

भागलपुरी जर्दालू आम (Bhagalpuri Zardalu Mango, Bihar)

हालांकि भागलपुर के जर्दालू आम का उल्लेख भारत की उच्च कोटि की आम की श्रेणियों जैसे: दशहरी, लंगड़ा, हापुज में कहीं नहीं पाया जाता, परंतु इस सौंधी खुशबू वाले आम को अब धीरे धीरे वह पहचान मिल रही है, जिसका यह अधिकारी है। असल में, जर्दालू आम का अपना रोचक इतिहास है, कहा जाता है... Continue Reading →

महाराष्ट्र का लासलगाव प्याज़ (Lasalgaon Onion, Maharashtra)

नाशिक जिले के निफाड तालुक में स्थित लासलगाव न केवल भारत अपितु समस्त एशिया में प्याज का सबसे बड़ा बाज़ार है। कई लोगों को इस बात का पता ही नहीं होगा कि महाराष्ट्र देश में प्याज का सबसे बड़ा उत्पादक है। प्रसिध्द लासलगाव प्याज़ जिसे लाल निफाड या नाशिक प्याज के नाम से भी जाना... Continue Reading →

आसाम की तेज़पुर लीची (Tezpur Litchi of Assam)

पूर्वोत्तर राज्य आसाम के बारे में शायद बहुत से लोग इस बात से अनजान हैं कि यह राज्य जैविक विविधता, विभिन्न वनस्पतियों और जीव जंतुओं से समृद्ध राज्य है। आसाम अपनी उष्णकटिबंधीय वर्षा वनों, बांस के बगीचों, राष्ट्रीय उद्यानों साथ ही विभिन्न प्रकार की स्थानीय खेती और फलों के उत्पादन के लिए भी जाना जाता... Continue Reading →

त्रिपुरा की क्वीन पाइनएप्पल (Tripura Queen Pineapple)

ऐसा माना जाता है कि अप्रतिम सुन्दरता से परिपूर्ण पूर्वोत्तर राज्य त्रिपुरा का नाम वहां की देवी त्रिपुरसुंदरी के नाम पर पड़ा है। हालांकि १८०० से १९०० के आरम्भ के दशक में त्रिपुरा राज्य अपनी सुगंधित चाय के लिए सुप्रसिद्ध था, परन्तु आज इसने अपनी सार्वभौमिक पहचान उष्कटिबंधीय फल और सब्जियों की विस्तृत श्रृंखला के... Continue Reading →

मणिपुर का कचि नींबू (Kachai Lemon, Manipur)

आमतौर पर "मणिपुर का गौरव" नाम से प्रसिद्ध, वहां का अनोखा "कचि चंपरा" या कचि नींबू , उत्तरपूर्व के मणिपुर राज्य के ऊखरूल जिले के सुदूर गांव कचि में पाया जाता है। यह गांव नींबुओं का सबसे बड़ा उत्पादक है, परन्तु इस नींबू में ऐसी क्या खासियत है?   इसका कारण है वहां की उपोषणकटीबंधिय... Continue Reading →

Kanyakumari Cloves

Tamil Nadu is the largest producer of clove in the country with Kanyakumari district contributing a sizeable portion to the total production.  Clove was introduced in India around the 1800s by the East India Company in its spice garden in Courtallam. The dense wooded areas of Maramalai, Karumparai and Vellimalai in the Western Ghats of... Continue Reading →

Shankaragaurishvara Temple, Pattan, Baramulla District, Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir

Shankaragaurishvara Temple in Pattan is an exemplary example of Kashmiri temple style architecture prevalent in the 9th century. Modern Pattan is actually Shankarapattana, the capital founded by Shankaravarman of Utpala dynasty. Both Shankaravarman and his father Avantivarman were patrons of art, architecture and Sanskrit literature. Their noteworthy contribution to the revival of Hindu philosophy and... Continue Reading →

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