Pongal refers to an Indian food, particularly from Tamil Nadu which is a mash of rice and lentils boiled together and seasoned with ghee, cashew nuts, pepper and cummin seeds. Pongal is one of the foods which are eaten for breakfast with variety of other side dishes like Sambar and coconut chutney.
Pongal is well-liked rice based dish in Tamil Nadu. There are two (2) varieties of Pongal, the sweet variety is called Sakarai Pongal; and spicy variety is Khara Pongal. It is also the usual breakfast food in some parts of India.
In Pongal celebrations, a sweet Pongal is served and made with rice boiled with milk and Jaggery in earthen pots under wood fire. Pongal, which is a harvest festival is one of the important festivals observed in Tamil Nadu. It is a colorful festival which is celebrated for three days. It occurs in the mid of January, close to the harvest season. The festival is celebrated in order to give thanks to the Sun God, Rain God and the cow with garland, games and dances.