Why Indians' love for idli never ends

Idli.

Idli is the most ordered food item in Bengaluru, followed by Mumbai and Chennai, finds a study by food delivery app Uber Eats.

Idli is often eaten for breakfast along with piping hot sambar and a variety of chutneys.

"Idli has been a top breakfast item that consumers love... It appeals to people of varied food preferences and is a popular comfort food for many," Deepak Reddy of Uber Eats India, said in a statement on Thursday.

Data from restaurants across 38 cities that specialise in idli and are known for unique variations of the dish show that Bengaluru consumes idli the most, followed by Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad.

Globally, San Francisco, London and New Jersey have been found to be the top idli ordering cities.

For the last three years, March 30 has been celebrated as World Idli Day. It is said to be the brainchild of Eniyavan, a popular idli-only caterer from Chennai.

The simple idli comes in a lot of variations and adaptations throughout the world.

Some of the classical varieties are - Kanchipuram idli (tempered with black pepper and coconut) and Ramasserry idli (a at and soft idly from Palakkad in Kerala).

There are modern-day adaptations like mallipoo idli and podi idli. Mallipoo in Tamil refers to jasmine, the idli gets its name as it is as soft as a jasmine. The podi idlis are mini idlis tossed with gun powder (ground chilly).

There are also household adaptations like sambar idli (idli immersed in sambar) and idli upma (tempered idli cubes with chopped onions and chilies).

The basic ingredients of idli are raw rice, boiled rice and urad dal, but their ratio changes from household to household and state to state.

The idli appeals to all as it has the good bacteria which are good for the gut, says Devavrat Kamath, the son of the owner of Cafe Madras in Matunga, a hub for South Indian delicacies in Mumbai.

The USP of idli is that you won't feel heavy after having a few of them. It is easily digestible and so it is one of the first solid food given to babies.

The idli is here to stay and it will remain so even if generations pass.

(With agency inputs)

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