Abstract: The native people who live in our nation are known as the tribal population. They have been leading a basic existence centred on the natural world for millennia, and they have created cultural norms that are compatible with their social and physical surroundings. Even the literature on the ancient age, including works from the Ramayana and Mahabharata periods, makes mention of these tribes. According to census 2011 in India, Schedule Tribes comprised 8.6% of the total population. The primary concept of the paper is to focus of Tamil Nadu's tribes and their food cultures. They are dispersed over the Kanyakumari district, the Western Ghats, and the Nilgris. Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli are homeland to the Kanis. Thodas, Paniyans of Nilgris, Kotas, and Irulas of Jawadh hills and Malayalis of Kalrayan hills. The food habits of various tribes can provide insight into their respective lifestyles. Numerous tribes still rely on the food and nourishment provided by forest products. Fruits, spinach, millet, and tuberous foods like elephant yams have been common foods consumed by tribal people in southern India. Goat Meat, rats, cats, squirrels, fish, crabs, snails, and other creatures that are found in their habitat are also a part of the tribe food culture. There is a lot of variation across the many tribal groups, including the so-called primitive tribes, a subset of very vulnerable STs. Numerous policies and programs that were started in the tribal areas after Indian independence had far-reaching effects.

Keywords: food culture, forest products, habitat, lifestyle, Tamil Nadu tribes.

Cite:
Dr.B. Premagowri, Dr.A. Jenit Osborn, Suryaprakash.S and Manimegalai.C, "TRIBES OF TAMIL NADU AND THEIR DIVERSE FOOD CULTURE", IARJSET International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology, vol. 11, no. 2, 2024, Crossref https://doi.org/10.17148/IARJSET.2024.11218.

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2024.11218