Chikmagalur travel guide

Estate filter coffee

Coorg and Nilgiri's coffee estate direct experience—buying fresh-roasted coffee powder at estate factories and having it filter-dripped through a traditional metal filter into hot milk; the coffee grown at 900-1,500m in shade from the exact estate is incomparably better than commercial blends

Akki roti

Karnataka's hearty rice-flour flatbread—hand-patted directly onto the pan with onion, green chili, coconut and coriander mixed into the dough; eaten with coconut chutney or sambar for breakfast or as a snack; a Bengaluru-Karnataka morning staple

Neer dosa

Coastal Karnataka's stunning simplicity—water, rice and salt fermented overnight; poured thin and steam-cooked without flipping; impossibly lacy and delicate; eaten rolled around coconut chutney or fish curry; a Udupi and Mangalore morning essential

Pandi curry

See Pandi curry (pork)—the Kodava pork curry with kachampuli vinegar specific to Coorg; one of India's great regional meat dishes; available year-round at Coorg homestays and Estate restaurants in Madikeri; the specific sour note from the Coorg vinegar is irreplaceable

Kadabu

Karnataka's steamed rice dumplings—a festival food and Ganesha Chaturthi prasad offering; sweet coconut-jaggery filled or savory spiced varieties; each family has its recipe and the steaming method is done over banana leaves; a rare temple-associated preparation