'Leave the noble idli out': Shashi Tharoor's witty response to rasgulla comparison goes viral

NEW DELHI: An X user tagged Shashi Tharoor while joking that if the Congress MP came across a viral post comparing rasgulla to idli, it would result in an 'eloquent linguistic assassination.'

What followed was exactly that, as Tharoor delivered a detailed and humorous defence of the iconic South Indian dish in his trademark style.


The viral post had claimed, 'Rasgulla is nothing but a idli dipped in sugar syrup' and called it the 'most overrated desert'.





Responding to it, Tharoor wrote, "Indeed! To conflate a Rasgulla with an Idli is not just a culinary error; it is a profound cosmological misunderstanding."

Explaining why the comparison made little sense, Tharoor said the two foods belonged to entirely different culinary categories.

"To begin with, the comparison is practically a biological impossibility. She is comparing chhena (the delicate, squeaky, pristine curd of milk) with a meticulously fermented batter of parboiled rice and black gram (urad dal). Their compositions are from entirely different kingdoms," he wrote.



"One is an airy, spongy lattice designed to trap light sugar syrup; the other is a dense, wholesome, steamed matrix of complex carbohydrates and proteins. Their taste, consistency, structural integrity, and existential purpose share absolutely nothing in common," he added.

Tharoor then described the idli as 'one of the greatest engineering marvels of the culinary world' and praised the science behind its preparation.

"The Idli is not a mere ‘bland cake.’ It is a masterclass in biotechnology. To achieve the perfect Idli is to balance the delicate microflora of wild fermentation over a cold night, resulting in a steamed cloud that is a triumph of gut health, lightness, and nutritional balance," he wrote.

Calling idli a 'savoury monolith of South Indian culinary genius', Tharoor said it was perfectly suited to absorb flavours of sambar, molaga-podi and ghee.

"To suggest an Idli would even consent to being drowned in sugar syrup is to fundamentally misunderstand its dignity," he remarked.

He concluded the post by saying people were free to criticise rasgullas on their own merits, but should leave idlis out of the debate.

"If this lady finds Rasgullas overrated, argue that on the merits of their sponginess or sweetness. But please, leave the noble, perfectly fermented, steamed majesty of the Idli out of your dessert-table polemics, ma'am!" Tharoor wrote.