Telugu cuisine is a cuisine of South India native to the Telugu people from the states of Andhra, Telangana and Yanam. Generally known for its tangy, hot and spicy taste, the cooking is very diverse due to the vast spread of the people and varied topological regions.
All three regions — Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telangana — have distinctive cuisines. In the semi-arid Telangana state region millet-based bread (rotte) is the predominant staple food, whereas rice is predominant in irrigated Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Ragi is also popular in Rayalaseema region. Many of the curries (known as koora), snacks and sweets vary in the method of preparation and differ in name, too.
Andhra Pradesh is the leading producer of red chili and rice among Indian states, and Telangana the leading producer of millet; this influences the liberal use of spices in Telugu cuisine, making its food some of the richest and spiciest in the world. Vegetarian dishes, as well as meat and seafood (coastal areas), feature prominently on the menus. Tomato pappu, gongura, and tamarind are widely used for cooking curries. Spicy and hot varieties of pickle form an important part of Telugu cuisine. Deltaic Telugu cuisine from erstwhile Guntur district in Coastal Andhra is known as the spiciest among Telugu cuisines, primarily because of the use of the traditional red hot chillis grown in the region. Pickles called avakayas are also made using Guntur Sannam hot chillis.