Chilli was not there in India 400 years back

Four hundred years back all  the pungent  dishes  of South India  were  prepared  using pepper only

By

P.R.Ramachander

I am sure you would all be surprised to know   that Chilles   were  first brought by Portuguese  to India (around 1500 AD)    and South iNdia must have   started cultivating it around 16^th century.   There is no doubt at all   that Indian cuisine  is many centuries  older. But as of now almost   all  pungent dishes in South India get their  pungency by the use  of either  red or green chillies and almost  90%  of the north Indian dishes   get  the pungency from use  of pepper. So there is little doubt  that   in South India also pungency was being  added   to the dishes  by adding pepper.  If you need   any  proof for that it can be got   from   the recipes of dishes  being prepared   for annual death ceremonies  in the homes of Brahmins  , where  all   dishes   are  prepared even  today by using  pepper . I want to talk today   about   the main courses in vegetarian houses  using Tamarind.

   Before the invention of Sambar   and rasam of the present day  , possibly   about 400 years back in Tanjore  by the chefs of king  SAmbaji   of Tanjore,   the main tamarind dishes  in South India were

1.Andhra  Pradesh- Pulusu

2.Karnataka  -Huli

3.Tamil  Nadu –either Poricha  Kuzhambhu  or Vathal  kuzhambhu or Milagu  Kozhambu 

And  4. Kerala pulungari

      AS of now  though these  dishes are  being prepared   , they get their pungency from Chillies. About 4 centuries back   they must have got their pungency  from Pepper only.

    IN present day   except for dishes  prepared  for Sradha   in Brahmin homes   all pungent   dishes are prepared  by adding Chillies. The Nambudiri cusine till about 100  years back was based on pepper. Even today Kalan   and Erissery are  prepared  by them using pepper .

    Apart from these  the Poricha Kuzhambu(some thing like pitlai  of Tamil Nadu)  in Palakkad eyer homes is usually  prepared  only using pepper  . (http://palakkadcooking.blogspot.in/2015/02/poricha-kuzhambu.html) Possibly the other traditional main dishes  we  prepare   without chilles are  Milagu Kuzhambhu    , Milagu Rasam, Jeera   rasam etc