What Is Podi & How Do You Use It?
What is podi? If you haven’t encountered it before, you should know that it’s a spice blend popular in India, one that is sprinkled on food to spike the flavor profile of a dish. But for most fans, you can say podi is an emotion. Podi is usually a combination of lentils such as split Bengal, black gram, sesame seeds, curry leaves, spices like chilli, black pepper, and cumin, but podi mixes vary widely from one tradition to another.
According to Sangam literature (ancient Tamil texts), the concept of podi originates in Southern India. It was popularized by the Vijayanagar dynasty, a south Indian royal family that became prominent around 1336 AD to 1565 AD. The empire was located on the banks of the Tungabhadra river (present-day Karnataka), and gradually spread over the entire Deccan region. “So even today, podi is popular in the regions of central and northern Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka,” Chef Regi Mathew told me.