Food is perhaps one of the most characteristics of a city's personality. It defines the city in many ways. The food is a way for the city to showcase its culture to all the travelers that visit it. For Bangalore, it has quite an interesting food portfolio. The strong south, Karnataka culture, whilst its modern roots and slow transformation into Silicon Valley has allowed the city to have diverse and exciting food culture for the tourist to the city. While Bangalore might not have the most vibrant food culture, it sure does a delightful one. So if you're planning to visit Bangalore, surely give the 7 dishes a try
1. Bun Nippat
Being the innovative city it is, here is Bangalore creative take on Chat, the Bun Nippat. What is it you ask? Well for the unaware, nippat or nipattu is a crisp cracker and made from rice flour. It is a snack, which is generally eaten as a snack and used in chat. Now imagine a simple a crispy, deep-fried nippat covered by a fresh bun accompanied by onion's, cheese, and a chatpata Bangalore special masala. Choose your fav beverage to go with Bun Nippat to make it a delight. The snack is quite famous among youngsters and college students due to the convenience in the city but can be seen served in some restaurants or hotels in Bangalore. Chetty's Corner is one of the best places to try out Bun Nippat in Bangalore
2. Dal Obbattu
Dal Obbattu is a sweet flatbread made from all-purpose flour, Chana dal, and jaggery. It is popularly known as Puran polis or Holige (English). The dish is normally served on all occasions. The Dal Obbattu can also be prepared with coconut and sugar as ingredients. Normal Dal Obbattu is served hot accompanied by ghee over it. It's not a flash food like many others on the list but is always a good choice to meet your hunger. There are multiple sweet shops in Bangalore where one can get holige from, but Bhaskar Mane Holige is a good option to have your first bite.
3. Benne Masala Dosas
A specialty in the state of Karnataka, the Benne masala dosas, is but different from your classic crispy dosa. Unlike the regular dosas, they are crispy yet soft. The benne dosa is doused in butter and is much smaller in size. The benne dosa is also much thicker, and the heaps of butter used to make it has a lot to do with it. Now coming to where to have a benne masala dosa, it is available in most restaurants or hotels in Bangalore, but perhaps one stands out place would the legendary CTR at Malleshwaram. The benne dosa at CTR is served with chutney and not your usual sambhar and is hand owns one of the best dosas you'll have.
4. Mysore Pak
Originated from the city of Mysuru, Karnataka Mysore Pak is an India sweet made of sugar, gram flour, and a lot of ghee (a lot!). Initially, the Mysore Pak used to be a bit harder with a slight bit of crunch some might say, but it has slowly transitioned a softer version. You can probably already imagine how it might taste while melting in your mouth with the description. Initially, this used to be a specialty for weddings or South Indian festivals, it has now crawled its way to become one of the crowd favorite sweet in the city. If you want to taste the original porous Mysore Pak you can visit the 70-year-old Gundappa shop, or if you want the melting in mouth sensation you can visit the Sri Venkateswara Sweetmeat Stall.
5. Craft Burgers
Here is a burger that has pure calories and no added chemicals. The craft burger is quite famous like in the city of Bangalore, and unlike your fast food burgers, they are made with great care. From the freshly baked buns to the naturals ingredients used, and don't forget the ground beef patty or other choices of protein. There are multiple variants of these burgers that you can find in premiere eateries or hotels in Bangalore. The Biere Club at Lavelle is a good choice to suffice your burger hunger.
6 Mangalore Buns
Mangalore buns is a popular coastal Karnataka snack, which gives a surprising mild sweet taste. The buns are quite fluffy in shape and are normally made with all-purpose flour. The Mangalore buns are accompanied by a spicy coconut chutney, to balance the sweetness of the bun, but they are equally tasty when eaten standalone. These buns are one of the tastiest food in the streets of Bangalore, but to try an authentic Mangalore you have to travel to Udupi, where is originated from. Udupi Sagar is a small town near the forest of JP Nagar, and you can book a hotel in JP Nagar, in case you're planning to go on a short trip to visit Udupi to try out the real deal. Also, fun fact, while they are called Mangalore buns, they are not a bun, but a savory but when you break it, it feels like a bun.
7. Flavored rice
The people in Karnataka love their rice, and the same love can seen in Bangalore as well. From chitranna (lemon rice) to tangy puliyogare or tamarind rice, the variation in the different types of rice seems to endless. The love for love is so strong in the city, someone might mistaken it for Kolkata. To understand the different kind of wild flavored rice available in Bangalore just apply rule 64 of the internet on different ingredients with rice. Lemon rice, tomato rice. sesame seed rice, sweet corn rice, mint rice, palak rice, beet root rice and the list goes on. You maybe satying over a hotel in Indiranagar or hotel in Electronice city, you'll always find a wild variety of rice in nearby you.
Unlike Delhi's of Kolkata's, that have their Chinese food, biriyani, and paranthas, Bangalore is a bit different. The food at Bangalore is unique in many ways and the city has successfully meshed the modern food culture with its roots and given birth to dishes that are loved by everyone. While other cities are busy fighting who has the best variant of a certain cuisine, Bangalore is busy indulging in the sensual food the city has. For the same culture, Bangalore has become a top food destination for many, and the restaurants and hotels in Bangalore are happy to serve the tourists for them to come back for more.
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