What did Shashi Tharoor say about the combination of tea and idli? According to Tharoor, what should a perfect idli be like? How did Tharoor react to the comparison of Rasgulla and Idli? Tharoor described idli as the “delicious monolith” of which region’s cuisine?
Social Media Viral News: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has once again come forward in defense of his favorite dish Idli. This time the matter is related to a viral post on social media. An X user described ‘Tea and Idli’ as the best combination in the world. On this, the Thiruvananthapuram MP made it clear that he likes both tea and idli, but he does not like the idea of eating both together.
Tharoor wrote, “Oh, I understand what you are trying to do here! Apart from provoking me. I have to be honest: This idli looks a little too solid and thick for my liking. And the color in the picture is also not very attractive.” He further said, “No one can match the absolutely soft, snow-white and fluffy idli. This one felt like rubber to chew. This is not an A-grade idli.”
Scroll to load tweet…
Tharoor described himself as a big fan of tea, but his argument was that tea and idli should be eaten separately. He said, “I am a big tea lover myself, but I have always believed in the policy of ‘separate but equal’. I prefer to drink my tea with or after food, rather than dunking something in it.”
He further explained that dipping the idli in tea takes away its original flavor. He said, “Anyway, a nice, soft idli will dissolve in hot tea and spoil the tea, whereas a ‘dipable’ idli will be too rubbery for my taste and inedible.” Tharoor said jokingly, “I would say that let the tea remain in the cup and the idli in the plate, both are good at that!”
Rasgulla vs Idli
This is not the first time that Tharoor has come out for idli. Earlier this year, Tharoor had gone viral when he reacted to a social media claim that compared rasgulla to idli. In that post, the Bengali sweet was described as “idli dipped in sugar syrup”. Tharoor wrote, “Indeed! Mistaking rasgulla for idli is not just a culinary mistake; it is a deep cosmic misunderstanding.” He explained the basic difference between the two.
“For starters, this comparison is practically a biological impossibility. She is comparing chhena (a delicate, fresh cheese made of milk) to a yeasty batter of steamed rice and black lentils (urad dal). Their textures are from completely different kingdoms.”
Scroll to load tweet…
Tharoor described the idli as “one of the greatest engineering marvels of the culinary world” and “a masterclass in biotechnology”. He said, “Idli is not just a ‘bland cake’. It is a masterclass in biotechnology. Making a perfect idli means balancing the delicate microflora of wild yeast on a cool night, resulting in a cloud-like steaming dish that is a triumph of gut health, lightness and nutritional balance.”
Describing idli as “a delicious monolith of South Indian cookery”, Tharoor argued that it is designed to be eaten with sambar, molaga-podi and ghee – not with sugar syrup. He commented, “To suggest that an idli would be willing even to be dipped in sugar syrup is to fundamentally misunderstand its dignity.”