   Cooking pongal in a traditional pot (left); Venn pongal (center); Sakkarai pongal | |
| Place of origin | India, Sri Lanka |
|---|---|
| Region or state | South India |
| Associatedcuisine | Tamil cuisine |
| Main ingredients | Rice,milk |
| Variations |
|
Pongal (lit. 'to boil over') is a dish ofrice cooked in boilingmilk. It is a popular dish cooked by theTamil people inSouth India andSri Lanka. Its preparation is the main custom associated with the namesakePongal festival. Several varieties such as the Venn pongal and Sakkarai pongal are part of theTamil cuisine.
The dish is associated with thePongal festival, a majorharvest festival of theTamils. The name literally translates to "boil over" or "overflow" inTamil language. As per tradition, the fresh harvest of rice is cooked in boiling milk and offered to variousHindu deities.[1] While the pongal is cooking, onlookers shout "Pongalo pongal!" ('Let the pongal rise up!').[2]
Typically pongal varieties are made withcow milk and its derivatives.[3][4] Venn pongal ("Venn" means white)[5] is made up of rice andlentilporridge similar to the anotherSouth Asian staplekhichdi. Spices likeblack pepper,ginger,turmeric,asafoetida,cashews,cumin,curry leaves, are used along withghee (clarified butter),mung beans, and salt. In South India, it is commonly eaten for breakfast withcoconut chutney andcoffee.[2][3][6]
Sakkarai pongal ("Sakkarai" meaning sweet or sugar) is made withjaggery, mixed withcardamom, cashews,raisins,nutmeg, and ghee. It is often served as aprasadam after being offered to the deities.[2][3] Other variations include Kozhi pongal ("Kozhi" meaning chicken) made withchicken meat and Sanyasi pongal ("Sanyasi" meaning ascetic or monk) made with vegetables.[2]
| North America |
| ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South America | |||||||||||||
| Europe | |||||||||||||
| Africa | |||||||||||||
| West Asia | |||||||||||||
| Central Asia | |||||||||||||
| South Asia |
| ||||||||||||
| East Asia |
| ||||||||||||
| Southeast Asia |
| ||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||
