Because of the shape. The dough is pressed through a flat die into long, thin strips that look like ribbons, then fried until crisp. The same snack goes by different names across southern India depending on the region.

Rice flour and gram flour, bound together and fried in rice bran oil, with chilli powder and asafoetida for seasoning. There is no palm oil, no artificial colour and nothing added to preserve it.

Palm oil is the standard choice for fried snacks and is avoided by some shoppers on environmental grounds. Rice bran oil is made from the outer layer of the rice grain, left over from milling. It has a high smoke point, which lets it hold a steady temperature through frying without breaking down, and it is naturally low in saturated fat compared with palm oil.

Mild to moderate. Chilli powder is the main seasoning, so there is a clear warmth, but it is balanced by the savoury depth of the asafoetida rather than building into real heat.