The story of Sambar – its origin and its variations
There is a story behind everything and unraveling this mystery is a sheer excitement . In india, food is an integral part of every person and forms part of rich cultural heritage. There are thousands of dishes that have been cookedand served over centuries all over the world which is something extraordinary. There are interesting stories behind these dishes too which are worth exploring. . Every corner of this country has its own version of rice, lentils, vegetable and meat cooked in special way. One of the most popular dishes that are associated to Southern part of India is Sambar. It is worth to note that Sambar has its own unique story that makes it more interesting.
Use some of the spicy and tasty ingredients
When you talk about the Sambar recipe, you will find variations in different areas. However the basic recipe includes lentils with vegetables cooked in a broth of tamarind. Vegetables like okra, eggplant, carrot, radish, shallots etc. are used to prepare this dish.
The origin of Sambar recipe has its connection to Marathas. The story behind this extraordinary dish goes back to 17th century. This dish was prepared for the first time in the Royal kitchen of Maratha King Shahaji Bhosale of Thanjavur. He was the founder of Maratha rule in Thanjavur and a good cook by himself. It is said that once he was preparing a Marathi dish called Amti, which had rich ingredients including lentils and vegetable. He ran out of Kokum which is a main ingredient and so he experimented by replacing it with Tamarind. In the royal feast in the honor of his cousin and Maharaja Shivaji’s son Sambhaji this dish was served where Amti had toor dal intead of moong and tamarind in place of kokum. Sambhaji loved it so much so that the dish was named after him . Soon this dish became popular among masses.
The variation in the dish comes in the form of ingredients used in the recipe for Sambar. The Sambar prepared in different areas of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh has unique blend of taste and aroma. In some places freshly grated and roasted coconut is used along with spices to prepare this dish.
Pappu Chaaru is one version of the dish prepared using few vegetables is quite popular in Andhra Pradesh.
Kuzhambu is another version in Tamil Nadu where lentils are not used but meat or fish is added in the dish. In fact in Tamil Nadu Sambar is rarely called so by its name but by Kuzhambu. It means gravy and it has its own variation like paruppu urundai sambar and muttai kuzhambu or egg sambar.
You will find a South Indian eater spread out at every street and corner of the country. Idly, Vada and Dosas are highly popular snacks these days. But every South Indian meal and snack is incomplete without Sambar and chutney. Sambar is very popular dish which is eaten as breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is served with steamed rice as well as with idly, vada and even dosa and uttapam.
