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Fluffy, fermented, fiercely defended: Idli gains a spokesperson
What’s a humble “fermented rice dumpling” that also has an elevated status as the culinary equivalent of a Beethoven symphony?
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Staff Reporter - Thu, 02, Oct 2025
- 02:42 EDT
- 31
Indian MP Shashi Tharoor. / Facebook/Shashi Tharoor
There are political speeches, there are campaign promises — and then there is what Indian parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor did when someone insulted the idli, a humble South Indian breakfast classic.
It all began with a drive-by post on X in the last week of September, 2025:
“Dosa? No words, just respect. It’s idli that tastes like steamed regret.”
A casual joke, perhaps. But Tharoor, that vocabulary assassin — a man who once used floccinaucinihilipilification in public discourse — saw not just mockery, but civilizational disrespect.
His response? Not anger. Literature.
Poor soul has clearly never had a good one. A truly great idli is a cloud, a whisper, a perfect dream of the perfectibility of human civilisation. It's a sublime creation, a delicate, weightless morsel of rice and lentil, steamed to an ethereal fluffiness that melts on the… https://t.co/J4NE2ddgua
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 27, 2025
He unleashed a passage that sounded less like a tweet and more like a romantic preface to Pride and Prejudice: Carb Edition:
“A truly great idli is a cloud, a whisper, a perfect dream of the perfectibility of human civilisation.”
Let’s pause. He didn’t call it “tasty,” or “delicious.” No. He declared it the culinary embodiment of human progress.
He continued:
“A delicate, weightless morsel of rice and lentil, steamed to an ethereal fluffiness that melts on the tongue.”
Somewhere, Wordsworth sat up in his grave.
And just when you thought he was done, he escalated to full symphonic crescendo:
“With the right accompaniments, it is the culinary equivalent of a Beethoven symphony, a Tagore sangeet, a Husain painting, a Tendulkar century.”
To translate the emotion:
An idli, properly served, is simultaneously Beethoven’s Ninth, a Billie Holiday jazz solo, a Beyoncé halftime show, and a Tom Brady comeback.
His conclusion?
“To call such a thing ‘regret’ is to have no soul, no palate, no appreciation for the finest achievements of South Indian culture.”
At this point, the original tweeter had probably deleted his account, moved to the mountains, and taken a vow of silence.
Food delivery giant Swiggy sent Tharoor a basket of idlis like he had just won the Hunger Games.
Delighted that my idli post prompted @Swiggy to surprise me with an unexpected gift delivery of idlis! Thanks @Swiggy! https://t.co/8nKocEze5G
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 29, 2025
He posted a thank-you, naturally — and then a photo of himself making idlis in full traditional attire, like a warrior forging his own weapon.
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 27, 2025
Meanwhile, the world kept spinning in idli’s favor.
- World Idli Day is celebrated every March 30, born in 2015 when a man in Chennai made a 97-pound idli to mark the occasion.
- A Bengaluru vlogger recently tried idlis priced at 6 cents, 60 cents, 6 dollars, and 60 dollars — the last one plated in 23-carat edible gold. He took one bite… and abandoned it. Because you can gild the idli — but you can’t improve perfection.
- An economist, Dr. Kishore Nuthalapati, once reported that the idli industry contributes over $3.6 billion to India’s economy and fuels 20 million jobs. Which means idlis may be more productive than Congress.
So, here’s the lesson, dear reader:
Mock pizza? You’ll get debate.
Mock burgers? You’ll get memes.
Mock idli?
You’ll get a Renaissance-era sonnet from a sitting lawmaker.
Respect the idli — or prepare for poetic consequences.
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