"Coffee, Orange, beautiful women and handsome guys" were the only few admirations I had heard before coming to Coorg. Now, if any one asks me, I will tell them why did you leave 'Pandi Curry', a delicacy Coorg stands for?”, said a Home Stay tourist.
[Pictures - Left: Otti and baimbale curry (rice bread and bamboo shoot curry)
      Right: Kadumbuttu and pandhi curry (rice dumplings and pork curry)]

Shamala Medappa, a Home Stay entrepreneur says that her guests return with unique flavor of Coorg Cuisine. It is not only 'Pandi Curry (Pork Curry) which attracts visitors, there are other delicacies like ' Akki Otti' (Rice roti), 'Kadambuttu' (Dumblings of steam rice), 'Baimbaley curry' (Bamboo shoot curry), 'Koli Curry' ( Chicken curry), 'Paputtu' (Steamed rice cake), 'Kuru Curry' ( Beans and kidney beans curry), N'Nooputtu' (String hoppers)'Kommu' curry ( Mushroom curry) and 'Albai' ( Sweet rice cake).
[Picture - Shamala Medappa, a home stay entrepreneur]

Some of these delicacies are influenced by Greek culture, a reference says. The day begins with Rice roti and Pandi curry for the people here. Bamboo curry is prepared during monsoon. Kadumbuttu, paputtu with Kuru curry and koli curry are prepared alternately or for a heavy breakfast on the arrival of guests or during festivals. People here grow paddy and keep swine at their back yards. Mushroom and bamboo shoots are available during monsoon. Obviously these attract their kitchen.

There is one more item which makes the district unique. “Maddu Soppu'' or Aati Soppu( Medicinal leaf)! 'Maddu Soppu' is a wonder plant found in abundance, grown in wild. People believe that the plant has medicinal quality and it should be used exactly on the eighteenth day in 'Aashada Maasa', every year. Jayashree, a house wife says that people believe that using this plant in the form of 'Maddu Puttu' (Sweet cake) or Payasam on this day means eighteen varieties of medicines will enter the body and it will protect the person for one full year from illness. The delicacy prepared out of this leaves is aromatic and will have mouth watering taste.
[Picture - Jayashree, a house wife]

G.Rajendra
Photo courtesy Manjunath