One of the most colourful and flavourful cuisines comes from the Southern end of India—Tamil Nadu. Coconut finds its presence in almost all the recipes thanks to its abundance throughout the coastline of the state, the other major ingredients used are rice, tamarind and red chilli. A traditional 'Tamil Sapaadu' consists of a range of Tamil delicacies served on a Banana Leaf. Two most famous Community cuisines of Tamil Nadu are the Iyengar cuisine (vegetarian) and the Chettinad cuisine (which is famous for its non-vegetarian delicacies).

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Tamil cuisine has had a long publication history, with the 'Hindu Paksastra' being the first ever Tamil cookbook published in 1891. Another prominent cookbook in the history of Tamil Cuisine is "Samaithu Paar", by Meenakshi Ammal which gave step-by-step instructions for recipes.