Arisi
Rice; a common flour base in murukku.
The words behind the crunch
Tamil snack names and meanings
Explore familiar snack and ingredient words in Tamil, with English spellings and meanings to help you follow along.
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Aval
Flattened rice; named in aval mixture.
Kaaram
Spiciness or pungency; used in names of savouries.
Kadalai
A context-dependent term for gram or groundnut. Check which ingredient the maker means.
Milagu
Pepper; the seasoning named in milagu sev.
Munthiri
Cashew; named in cashew mixture.
Murukku
A savoury snack family associated with twisted or extruded shapes.
Omam
Ajwain; an aromatic seasoning.
Poondu
Garlic; used in the names of garlic murukku and sev.
Pudina
Mint; named in pudina murukku.
Ragi
Finger millet; named in ragi murukku.
Thengai paal
Coconut milk; named in one murukku variation.
Thinai
Foxtail millet; named in thinai athirasam.
Maravalli kizhangu
Tapioca or cassava; used in the names of chips and murukku variations.
Thenkuzhal
A murukku style commonly recognised by smoother strands.
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