The last stop on our Indian MBA adventure is Bangalore, also known as Benguluru. Located in the southern part of India, it is the capital of the state of Karnataka. Bangalore has the third largest population of any city and India with about 5.8 million people. As we all should know by now, Bangalore is the hub of IT activity in India and is commonly referred to as the Silicon Valley of India. Much of the economy in Bangalore is made of up of call centers and other back office and IT services that are exported to the US and other countries around the world. Major companies such as Wipro and Infosys have headquarters in Bangalore, which has helped to spur fast economic growth in Bangalore and attract many rich Indians. In fact, Bangalore has the third largest population of ‘rich’ and ‘super rich’ individuals in the country.

Another fact that we should all be aware of by now is that we will be hitting the streets of Bangalore just before the beginning of the monsoon season. The hottest month in Bangalore is April. The average temperatures in June, when we will be there, range from 68-86 degrees. This does not sound too hot, but we got to keep in mind that it will also likely be cloudy, humid, and rainy.

Enough about all of that, let’s talk about eating in Bangalore. There are many popular breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack items in Bangalore that sound incredible. I will list some of the items by meal below and go into further detail on a couple that sound the best to me. Keep in mind these are abbreviated lists.

Breakfast:

- Idlis – steamed rice and lentil cakes

- Chutney – spicy dip

- Uddina Vade – fried doughnut shaped lentil and rice patty

- Poori – fried dough

- Akki Roti – flat bread

Finally, the best sounding dish to me is Dosas. A Dosa is a pancake/crepe make from rice and lentils and a variety of spices and other ingredients. The batter is typically fried in oil or ghee (clarified butter) on a hot griddle. Dosas can be prepared in a variety of ways including stuffed with cheese stuffed with spiced potatoes (Masala dosa), and stuffed with mint chutney and vegetables (Green dosa). I like this item because of the sheer number of variations and it is one of the few items that I have already tried. It will be great to get a few dosas for breakfast in India.

Lunch and Dinner:

- Huli/Sambhar – lentil soup with or without vegetables

- Palya – a dry vegetable side dish usually eaten with rice

- Vangi Bath – spicy eggplant mixed with rice

- Chithranna – spiced lemon rice

- Mavinakayanna – mango rice

- Ragi Mudde – ragi (millet) balls

And what sounds the best to me? Bisi Bele Bath, which means hot dahl rice. Aside from a great sounding name, this dish is full of lentils, rice, vegetables, beans, and a ton of spices. Typical spices found in Bisi Bele Bath include fenugreek, coriander, dry chilies, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon, curry leaves, etc. The dish is basically a big casserole that sounds incredibly flavorful. This is definitely on my list of must try items.

Alright that brings this post to an end. What did I miss or leave out? What are your favorite dishes from southern India? What foods do we need to try in Bangalore?

- Tim Lynds

Referenced websites

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore

2. http://wikitravel.org/en/Bangalore

3. http://www.virtualbangalore.com/BF/index.php

4. http://www.discoverbangalore.com/food.htm

5. http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/population_of_bangalore_in_2010