What does PODI mean?

 What makes PODI a versatile star of a South Indian home kitchen?

It's the variety of textures, flavors, and colors that make each blend unique and fun to explore. A PODI is not just limited to lentils and spices, PODIs are also made with vegetable scraps like gourd skin, or with superfoods like moringa leaves, or with a medley of seeds—like pumpkin, flax, niger, and even jackfruit seeds.

 

  

PODI in care packages: more than a seasoning, an emotion!

In a culture often reserved about overt emotional expression, PODIs silently stand in for matriarchal love and care. They are a tool for easy cooking as well as a vessel for feelings. For a South Indian that grew up with them, they are the unsung heroes in care packages sent miles away to college hostels or new homes. They are memories encapsulated and they comfort and nourish us, no matter how far we wander. A piece of home can always be found in a humble jar of PODI.

How can I use PODI?

For the newer generations, PODI is a small yet profound connection to our roots, bridging the gap between modernity and tradition, between homelands and new lands. We sprinkle PODI on a cottage cheese toast, or add it our ramen, or simply dust it on morning eggs and avo, flavor up popcorn, potatoes and grilled veggies.

Through our experiences with PODI life, we have also learned that it's a taste that transcends boundaries.

 

 

 PODI : An equalizer condiment

Whether we're glimpsing into the simple, sun-soaked lunch of a Karnataka farmer enjoying millet bakri (flatbread) and PODI, or peeking into the hurried late-night dinner of an overworked young professional pairing plain rice with PODI and a dollop of ghee, PODI serves as a culinary thread that weaves through lifestyles, social classes, castes and even continents. It's a dash of home, a sprinkle of comfort, and a heaping spoonful of cultural richness—all wrapped in the unassuming simplicity of a pantry staple. 

 

 PODI: A testament to indigenous ingenuity

PODI is a reflection of what's grown in South India, a culinary craft perfected to not just satiate hunger in a pinch, but to be the perfect travel companion. Its longevity and resistance to spoilage has made it stand through the test of time. 

 

PODI is life!