(From top) Interiors of Tamarind; a crab speciality at the restaurant; chefs at work in the kitchen. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

The mere mention of south Indian food conjures up images of crispy dosas and fluffy idlis. But there?s much more than that to cuisine down south and contrary to popular perception, they boast a wide repertoire of non-vegetarian delicacies. That is the point Tamarind, the eight-month-old eatery on Sarat Bose Road, aims to drive home.

?People around the country usually have the misconception that south Indian food is mostly vegetarian. Not only is this untrue, the food is varied and rich. Idlis and dosas are just a small part of the selection. One should remember that the famous Hyderabadi Biryani and Coorg Chicken are also contributions from the south,? stresses Sweta Ishaque, proprietor of the restaurant.

The idea of Tamarind was born when Sweta and her husband travelled to the south and discovered the diversity of the cuisine. ?That is when we decided to offer them all to the food connoisseurs of Calcutta.?

The restaurant offers authentic food from the four southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, and deals extensively with the gharanas within each cuisine. While Andhra cuisine can be classified into Hyderabadi and Tellengana styles, Tamil food includes the Chettinad and Iyer traditions while Udipi comes from Karnataka. While each has its exclusive spices and method of preparation, the way it is served and savoured also differs widely.

Tellengana is a fine balance of a large variety of vegetarian dishes and a wide repertoire of seafood. While sea fish and prawns are its mainstay, the ingredients widely used are sesame, coconut oil and pepper, mainly served with rice. Hyderabadi food, on the other hand, is much more spicy and bears Mughal influences. Coconut, tamarind, green chillis and cashews are used extensively in the gravy base called salan.

?Chettinad is the most popular non-vegetarian cuisine from the south. Chettiars are the business community of Tamil Nadu who used to travel extensively to Southeast Asia at one point of time and developed a taste for non-vegetarian food. Iyers, who are a section of Tamil brahmins, are vegetarian and survive on a light diet of Avial, Sambar and Poriyal,? reveals Gautam Purkayastha, co-owner of the restaurant. Generous doses of pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, green and red chillis make Chettinad one of the most spicy and aromatic cuisines of India.

Maharashtrian influences dominate Karnataka cuisine to a large extent. ?The Kannads, unlike people in other south Indian region, use freshly-ground spices. Gassi masala ? a combination of dry coconut, onions and badange (a special kind of chilli found in the state) is used extensively. And while it is popularly believed that Udipi originates from Tamil Nadu, it actually hails from Karnataka,? explains Shafiul Ishaque, co-owner of Tamarind. Dosas, idlis and vadas are the high points of Udipi food.

The Muslim and Christian communities largely influence eating habits in Kerala. While non-veg delicacies form a huge chunk of the cuisine, the food is very spicy and the use of coconut and the coconut milk (used even in biryani!) is rampant.

Tamarind dishes out a wide selection in all these cuisines and the stress is on the authenticity of each. And the secret getting it right are the spices. While most are brought down from Chennai, including exotic ones like kalpasi, star anise, the Marathi moog and huge cigar-sized cinnamon, cloves and black pepper are brought over from Kerala. And spices are not the only south Indian imports at the kitchen here. ?Our chef S. Kannan hails from Tamil Nadu too. His father was a very good cook and specialised in Chettinad food. Kannan learnt all the culinary secrets from his father,? explains Sweta.

The owners, however, reveal a non-culinary secret to enjoy south Indian food: ?Stash away all cutlery and use your hands to eat. This is how people in the south enjoy their food.?