Thanjavur the birthplace of sambar in the South of India was the power centre of the Cholas, by 1798 Maratha Serfoji II took over the reins, his 3 decades of reign gave birth to the now-forgotten Thanjavur Maratha cuisine, his scribes recorded oral statements of his palace cooks in the 1820s in Sarabhendra Pakasathram which remains one of India's most exhaustive secret culinary accounts of the royal kitchen. The story of the sambar goes back to the reign of Shahuji I (1684-1712). His kitchen is believed to have tweaked the Maharashtrian Amti using tur dal instead of moong dal and most importantly tamarind pulp instead of kokum. The dish was named after the Royal visitor of the day - Sambhaji, the second Emperor of the Maratha empire. Over time sambar has been further refined with different versions across Southern India and remains the most important dish in south Indian vegetarian cuisine.

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