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Sambar (Tamil: [saːmbaːɾ] , romanized: Sāmbār) is a lentil-based vegetable stew, cooked with pigeon pea and tamarind broth.[1] It originates in South Indian cuisine and is popular in large parts of India and beyond.
Type | Spiced curry stew |
---|---|
Place of origin | India |
Region or state | South India |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Tamarind broth, lentils, vegetables |
139 kcal (582 kJ) | |
History
editAccording to food historian K. T. Achaya, the earliest extant mention of sambar in literature can be dated to the 17th century in Tamil Nadu.[2]
The word sambar (சாம்பார்) stems from the Tamil word champāram (சம்பாரம்).[3]
A Tamil inscription of 1530 CE,[4][5] shows the use of the word champāram in the sense of meaning a dish of rice accompanying other rice dishes or spice ingredients with which a dish of vegetable rice is cooked:
அமுதுபடி கறியமுது பல சம்பாரம் நெய்யமுதுள்ப்பட தளிகை ஒன்றுக்கு பணம் ஒன்றாக
Amutupaṭi kaṟiyamutu pala campāram neyyamutuḷppaṭa taḷikai oṉṟukku paṇam oṉṟāka.
Cooked rice offerings, including curry rice (pepper rice or vegetable rice), many types of spiced rice (pala champaaram) and ghee rice, at the rate of one pa’nam (a denomination of money) per one portion.
The recipe for Sambar can be traced to Maratha ruler Sambhaji who attempted to make Amti for himself when his head chef was away.[6] This was then picked up and repeated by several websources and newspapers.[7]
Sambar was introduced to Sri Lankan cuisine in the 20th century, along with many other South Indian dishes.
Regional variations
editSome claims that Sambar is variously called thizone chinyay hin (သီးစုံချဉ်ရည်ဟင်း; lit. 'assorted vegetables sour soup'), thizone pe kala hin (သီးစုံပဲကလားဟင်း, lit. 'assorted vegetables chickpea soup'), or derivatives like thizone hin or pe kala hin in the Burmese language. The Burmese version incorporates dried salted fish and a variety of vegetables including eggplants, okra, moringa, gourd, green beans, and potatoes in a soup base of pureed chickpeas, which is seasoned with ripe tamarind, curry leaf, pyindawthein leaf, masala, cumin, chilies, onions and garlic.[8][9]
In southern states of India namely Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Sambar is made using different vegetables and fruits along with lentils or coconut. Each region has its own version of making sambar; even though the same vegetables are used, the condiments and ingredients, and the method differ regionwise.[10] In Tulu speaking areas of coastal Karnataka coconut is predominantly used to prepare Koddel (Sambar). The grated coconut is ground with spices to form a paste which is added to vegetables boiled.[11]
A similar dish is used in Burmese cuisine as an accompaniment to Burmese curries.[8]
British Indian Restaurant (BIR) version
editThe 'Samber' is a staple of British curry houses, where it is served in the form of a thicker sauce than the original, with meat added to the dish. Typically it is hot, sour, and, like the original dish, contains lentils.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Mathai, Kamini (26 September 2014). "Sambar: the great Tamil dish of Maharashtrians". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ G. J. V. Prasad (2017). "Idli, Dosai, Sambar, Coffee: Consuming Tamil Identity". In Shweta Rao Garg; Deepti Gupta (eds.). The English Paradigm in India: Essays in Language, Literature and Culture. Springer Singapore. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-981-10-5332-0. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ Velswamy, Jayalekshmy (2 April 2015). 53 Healthy Lunch Box Recipes for Babies,Toddlers and Kids. Bumps n Baby. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ South Indian Inscriptions vol.4. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. 1986.
- ^ "South Indian Inscriptions Vol 04 1923".
- ^ "The Story of Sambhar". Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "A tale of two sambhars". The Hindu. 30 March 2012. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ a b "သီးစုံပဲကုလားဟင်း၊ ငါးခြောက်မွှကြော် ၊ငရုတ်သီးဆားထောင်း". Mizzima (in Burmese). 3 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ duwunkyal (30 June 2021). "ပဲကုလား ဟင်းချက်နည်းလေးပါ". Duwunkyal Blog (in Burmese). Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ Hebbars kitchen. "Sambar Recipe South Indian Vegetable Sambar in Cooker – 15 Mins". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ DNA,English Daily Newspaper. "The sambar saga: On the provenance and many variations of a south Indian staple". Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Samber Restaurant Curry Recipe". 11 March 2022.