Homemakers showcase culinary diversity of Godavari region at The Hindu’s ‘Our State Out Taste’ contest

Around 400 women showcased their talent by preparing regional delicacies of the Godavari region at ‘Our State Our Taste’ culinary competition organised by The Hindu at the River Bay Resort in Rajamahendravaram on June 23 (Sunday). 

Around 400 women showcased their talent by preparing regional delicacies of the Godavari region at ‘Our State Our Taste’ culinary competition organised by The Hindu at the River Bay Resort in Rajamahendravaram on June 23 (Sunday). 

The contestants, a majority of them were homemakers from Rajamahendravaram and Kakinada, represented various pockets of the Godavari region. The participants said that they prepared the delicacies following the recipes which had been tried, tasted and evolved through generations.  

The competition aims to identify the best home chefs from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, apart from documenting the culinary diversity of various regions from the Telugu-speaking States. The contestants were encouraged to prepare their preferred traditional delicacies with suitable modifications.

Leela Purnima from Rajamahendravaram city was adjudged winner in the preliminary round of the contest. She prepared flax seed-tomato and roti-pachhadi, a staple delicacy of Andhra Pradesh. Ms. Purnima qualified for the grand finale to be held in Vijayawada on July 27.

The winner of the grand finale will be awarded a cash prize of ₹75,000 while the runner-up will get ₹50,000. The contestant who bags the third place will get a cash prize of ₹25,000. 

On Sunday, Raji was adjudged the runner-up while V. Subba Lakshmi bagged the third place in the preliminary round of the competition.

Celebrities including ETV Raju, Chinnam Raju and Sankar Prasad judged the delicacies based on several criteria including taste, texture, flavour, and presentation.