Hampi travel guide

Thali meals

The complete Indian meal ritual—multiple preparations in small bowls arranged on a large plate or banana leaf; eaten according to regional tradition with rice (South) or roti (North); the thali format existed for centuries and has never been improved upon for nutritional balance

Mango lassi

India's most recognized summer drink globally—alphonso or totapuri fresh mango blended into yogurt with sugar and a pinch of cardamom; the quality depends entirely on mango variety and ripeness; Amritsar in mango season serves it in clay kulhads with cream on top

Banana everything

Kerala, Tamil Nadu and coastal South India's affection for using every part of the banana plant—banana blossom curry (vazhaipoo), plantain curry (kaya), raw banana sabji, banana leaf meals, banana chips, pazham pori (fritters) and ripe banana as direct dessert

Rice preparations

India's astonishing rice culture—over 6,000 rice variety traditions; from Assam's joha fragrant rice to Kerala's matta red rice, Manipur's black rice and Tamil Nadu's seeraga samba; biryani, pongal, khichdi, pulao, idli batter, appam batter; rice dominates Indian cooking

Hippie Island cafes

Kasol and Manali's international backpacker café culture—Israeli-run cafés serving shakshuka, falafel and hummus alongside mountain-influenced Indian cooking; hemp seed cakes, banana pancakes and Tibetan momos in mountain-view settings; the food is incidental to the altitude and company