On Monday, the Telangana Chefs’ Association (TCA) organised a few events in Hyderabad to celebrate its fourth anniversary. “In the last four years, there has been a tremendous turnaround for local cuisines all over the world. Telangana is no exception,” said chef Amey Marathe in a story published by the Press Trust of India (PTI) yesterday. Marathe is the vice president of TCA and a consultant at the Jubilee Hills-based restaurant Telangana Spice Kitchen. The chef pointed out that the lockdown gave an impetus to home chefs to explore their local cuisines which boosted the growth of regional dishes, like those from Telangana. Most chefs shared with PTI that the focus on millets has added to this too, as ‘Telangana is a semi-arid region and is home to many varieties of millets, and many local dishes are made using the ancient grains.'
The Godrej Food Trends Reports 2023 predicted that there will be a growing interest in regional and sub-regional foods, and it doesn’t come as a surprise that in Andhra Pradesh, chefs and diners are looking beyond the famous Hyderabadi biryani. "There was a time when you could not find many qualified chefs who took an interest in local cuisines. But now people are very curious about local dishes. For instance, these days ragi java, a traditional Telangana preparation of ragi and curd, is being feted as a superfood. So naturally, chefs too are looking for local delicacies that they can master," said Naveen Nagaraj, corporate chef of the restaurant Tatva in Hyderabad. To highlight regional ingredients, TCA organised a cooking competition to ‘encourage’ students of hospitality colleges to create dishes with local produce.
Chef Marathe shared with PTI that when it comes to food, the ‘least explored regions’ in Hyderabad are Karim Nagar and Warangal which ‘present a great opportunity in showcasing Telangana to the world’. He notes, “Telangana has a wide range of lentils and chillies that add layers to the cuisine.” Another chef added that Telangana is known for meat dishes and they have several recipes that incorporate nose-to-tail eating.
If you are curious to try a dish from Telangana, here's a recipe for the spice-infused Bagara rice:
