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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
10/02/2026
Sambar is regarded as a popular staple in South Indian culture and is known to be inspired by the Maharashtrian dish Amti, which has transformed during its evolution from amti into Sambar due to the influences of time, individual preferences, and changes in the types of ingredients used based on availability.
While sambar is the South Indian staple food served at breakfast or as a part of each daily meal, its history is an intriguing story. One version of sambar's history connects it to Maharashtrian amti and shows how it evolved through many generations to become part of the culinary traditions found in Thanjavur's kitchens. In addition to the rich history that combines cultural exchange, regional food, and royal creation, this pulse-based dish is an appropriate subject for celebrating World Pulses Day in 2026 and for years to come.
According to some, the fascinating tale of South Indian sambar recipe development occurred within the Maratha royal palace at Thanjavur in the 17th century. The Marathas were from Maharashtra and ruled parts of Tamil Nadu. They carried their cuisine (including amti, a lentil-based dish often prepared with kokum) with them. On one occasion, when kokum was unavailable, the Maratha cooks in this royal court used tamarind instead, accidentally creating a tart and flavourful dish that shares much more similarity to today's version of sambar than it does to amti. Therefore, most people agree that this unintentional cooking experiment is what caused sambar to come into being.
People can make the two dishes using completely different methods of preparation. Sambar is known for being thicker and heavier than amti and tends to have a higher overall density. That said, both amti and sambar use the same basic ingredients (pulses, souring agent, and spices) to balance the overall flavours of the dish. By substituting tamarind with kokum, the cooks altered the flavour profile of amti, thereby creating a new dish altogether, which eventually became known as South Indian sambar. Tales hold that this version of sambar was made in the royal kitchens and was thus served to royal guests.
The etymology of the term "sambar" has differing perspectives. According to one perspective, the word is derived from the Maratha king Sambhaji, the son of Shivaji, who visited Thanjavur (Tanjore) in Tamil Nadu during his reign. While visiting, the king tasted a new dish made with lentils prepared by the local cooks. His enjoyment of the dish caused it to be referred to as sambar in his honour. However, details regarding the etymology are not known, and some accounts differ, but they illustrate how food legends can sometimes have a blend of reality and folklore.
Once the dish of sambar was established in Thanjavur, it quickly spread throughout South India. The cooks throughout South India took the recipe and made it their own. Unlike the basic Maharashtrian (Amti) recipe for sambar, the South Indian adaptation embraced a wide variety of local vegetables, tamarind, curry leaves, and other spice blends. This allowed for many different versions of sambar that developed over time throughout Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. This evolution helped to formalise the identity of sambar as a popular dish with lentils at the centre of South Indian cuisine.
Sambar is no longer a "dish,” it represents the historical progression of culinary experience, as well as the value of pulses as a nutritional food. These facts align well with the honouring of World Pulses Day 2026. The contents of the South Indian-style sambar recipe highlight the nutritional value of pulses through their incorporation of lentils, vegetables, and various spices, which can be modified for regional tastes, while preserving historical roots.
Unlike many other culinary evolution stories, the connection between the amti and the sambar recipes is both debated and celebrated. While legends claim that the Maratha kings initiated the evolution of the amti dish into its present recipe in the Thanjavur region of Tamil Nadu, old records suggest similarities between the lentil/vegetable stew known as sambar and the lentil/vegetable stew used for the preparation of the amti dish, long before these events took place. For example, the Kannada language contains references to "huli", a type of dal/legume dish that has been found in texts dated around the mid-17th century, indicating that South Indian kitchens were evolving their methods of cooking with lentils and legumes concurrently.
The transformative nature of the sambar recipe illustrates how food is evolving continuously by becoming influenced by other cultures' recipes, by using seasonal or available ingredients that are easily accessible, and by developing individual identities across time and space. Understanding that food has a very long and varied history can develop within each person as an appreciation for food that goes beyond simply being a comfort dish. Food can also be used as symbols of connecting, innovation or legacy. This can be celebrated on World Pulses Day in 2026 and in other years as well.
