Ethnic fermented foods and beverages of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Food habits of different regions across the world are driven by agricultural systems. Cereal-legumes and milk are integral part of the routine meal in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Traditionally fermented foods in these states are almost always prepared with fermented rice and black gram batter, and subtle differences in their preparation give rise to multiple recipes such as idli, dosa, uttapam, vada, etc. The millet flours (finger millet) or excess water collected after boiling the rice are also fermented and consumed, but their preparation and consumption are almost declining. In addition the fermented milk products such as dahi (locally referred as perugu) or curds and butter milk (locally referred as majjiga or salla) are consumed almost every day, particularly at the end of the meal. Toddy (locally referred as kallu), a fermented alcoholic beverage, made by fermentation of palm sap, is also popular, particularly among rural folks. A description of traditional methods of preparation, fermentation chemistry, nutritional value, and associated microbiome of fermented foods of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was provided in the current chapter along with recent developments in their commercial use and value addition. Finally, a brief account of health benefits of fermented foods and underlying mechanisms has been presented.