Most of the food in South India is based around rice and most are meat-free.  In more rural areas the people maintain traditional blends of spices and there are non-vegetarians are larger in number.

In Tamil Nadu the foods are some of the spiciest, oiliest, and aromatic in all of India.  There is little moderation with key ingredients such as peppercorns, cinnamon,  bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, coconut milk, and chilies.  This region’s recipes are primarily vegetarian, but there are some that incorporate fish and fowl.  Berry-based chutneys are also popular.  In restaurants food is generally severed atop a banana leaf.  Many shops sell traditional cooking ingredients, if you‘d like to try your hand at preparing Indian food.  If you’re not ready to tackle the kitchen, you can buy pre-packaged snacks suck as murukkus, which are small fried spiral of rice dough.  

If you are looking for foods you are more familiar with -- fear not -- there is a wide range of intercontinental food available.  Pizza shops and coffeehouses are increasingly common. Some of the most famous restaurants that serve Indian cuisine are Krishna Sweets Mysorepa, Idly, Dosa (from the Annapoorna chain of restaurants) and Biriyani from the Anganna Shop. The area is well-known for its filter coffee.  Making the perfect cup of coffee is almost a ritual that takes about fifteen minute starts to finish, and includes a period of pouring the coffee back and forth between containers very quickly. The end product is a frothy coffee that is sweetened to taste with milk and sugar.