Growing up in Chennai, Tamilnadu, Podi was something that was ubiquitous. We say Podi, we know what we are talking about. It also helps that all four Southern States in India has their own version of Podi and hence we had no need to explain it. Starting out my business, the first question I get asked from a fellow Indian who is not from the 4 southern states is, “What is Podi?”. In search of a way to describe it, I stumbled upon this amazing article by Author Sonal Ved. This article goes in to detail of what Podi is, and how it is linked to “Sangam Literature”. It makes for a fascinating read.
If you had eaten in any number of South Indian restaurants in the US, or more famously at Saravana Bhavan, Podi is what comes on the side with Idli or Dosa. You might have also eaten “Podi Idli” or “Podi Dosai”. That is just one of the numerous varieties of Podi that is prepared in the Indian southern states.
Although we at Kari Podi Company, have started with making “Idli Podi”, we have plans to expand to many other varieties in due course.
But ultimately, to me, Podi is an emotion, it is love and it feels “Home”.