Bangalore or Chennai Sambar?Meals supply platform Zomato lately sparked an issue with its viral X publish siding with Bengaluru towards Chennai after Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Chennai Tremendous Kings within the newest match of the Indian Premier League 2026 on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However social media did not take it flippantly. One particular person wrote: “Be careful. Are you able to shut down your enterprise in Chennai? Act like a public firm, not like a road vendor. It is only a league cricket match in spite of everything.”
As calls to boycott the app develop louder on social media, we reached out to specialists to grasp the nuances of every sambar and what makes them distinctive.
Bangalore Sambar > Chennai Sambar.#RCBvCSK
— Zomato (@zomato) April 5, 2026
Sambar In response to Vinayak Shah, chef and founding father of Foodcraft Hospitality, tastes fluctuate drastically throughout southern India, and these variations are largely formed by the way in which every area consumes meals. “In Bangalore and throughout Karnataka, sambar sometimes has a barely thicker consistency with a touch of sweetness, coming from substances like jaggery. The mix of spices is often thicker and the dish is often paired with gadgets like idlis, vadas and dosas, so the flavors are constructed to enrich these textures,” Shah mentioned.
Disclaimer: This text is predicated on data from the general public area and/or from specialists we spoke to.
Shah says that in Chennai and lots of elements of Tamil Nadu, sambar tends to be extra runny in consistency, with extra pronounced tamarind acidity and a sharper spice profile. “It’s typically served as a part of a meal. a satisfying meal Since it’s eaten with rice, the flavour stability is adjusted accordingly,” Shah mentioned.
Many individuals make sambar utilizing loads of greens (Photograph: Wikimedia Commons)
The selection of greens, the roasting of spices, and even the ratio of dal to liquid can fluctuate between the 2 kinds.
Reflecting on its origins, meals historian and scholar Pushpesh Pant mentioned the sambar served in these cities represents distinct regional variations that may be traced again to the affect of Thanjavur-Maratha rule. In response to legend, Sambhar was born when Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj visited his court docket in Thanjavur. Realizing the shortage of kokum within the conventional amti, royal cooks turned to tamarind and added greens to create a lentil stew that turned often called sambar in honor of the king.
Chennai sambar makes use of loads of tamarind and when mixed with a single vegetable resembling drumstick, eggplant or pumpkin provides it a spicier, extra bitter style, whereas Bengaluru sambar makes use of jaggery to provide it a milder, sweeter and extra fragrant style and sometimes options a mixture of greens. “It options numerous greens and freshly floor paste, not simply dry sambar powder,” Pant mentioned. indianexpress.com.
Mohammed Eliyaz, government chef at Conrad Bangalore, agreed, declaring that he considers each to be two completely different expressions of the identical dish. “Bengaluru-style sambar is extra rounded and nice. Due to the freshly floor masala, it is subtly candy, aromatic and layered. Chennai-style sambar, alternatively, is extra direct and assertive. It leans in the direction of tangy flavors and spices, with tamarind and sambar powder giving it a sharper, extra pronounced character,” Eliyaz mentioned.
The pants are much more emphasised, variations Most traditional Tamil sambhars characteristic hinges and the absence of onions. “Sambars from Bangalore are inclined to desire sweeter Udupi-style dishes,” says Pant.
These modifications aren’t any coincidence. Shah mentioned they mirror regional cooking strategies, native flavors and the position the dish performs in a meal.
Over time, regional kinds emerged, every reflecting its personal philosophy. Eliyaz factors out that in Bangalore, freshly floor masala provides depth to every layer, giving the sambar a wealthy, fragrant, nearly velvety physique. “Chennai is all about restraint and precision. The cautious use of sambar powder and the timing of tamarind create a cleaner, sharper, extra outlined taste. Basically, Bangalore sambar seems like a posh, constructed symphony, whereas Chennai sambar is disciplined and elegantly constructed, and each are rooted in the identical legendary origins.”
Shubham Parikh, meals blogger and founding father of Mumbai Meals Heaven, mentioned the distinction is within the style impression. “In some locations, sambar feels just a little plump and barely candy, whereas in others it feels extra tangy and lighter. Even the way in which it lingers within the mouth is completely different. You’ll be able to inform extra for those who eat each kinds a number of instances as an alternative of simply as soon as,” Parikh mirrored.
“When you see it, you all the time really feel just like the variations aren’t that huge, however if you eat it recurrently, you begin to discover how the style, texture, and even the aftertaste change from place to put. It is basically the identical dish, simply formed by native customs and what folks grew up consuming.”
Disclaimer: This text is predicated on data from the general public area and/or from specialists we spoke to.
