Swiggy's New MVP: Dosa Takes Over Nation's Breakfast Tables

Call it what you may — dosai, doshey or dosha — the humble dosa has come a long way from its centuries old incarnation.

Today, it has many varieties — plain dosa, paper dosa, masala dosa, Mysore masala dosa, rava dosa and onion dosa to name a few.

According to late Indian food writer, chef and cookbook author Tarla Dalal's website, there are some 120 varieties of dosas. And we thought, we knew it all!

Though it is mostly known as a south Indian dish, few know about its actual origins. However, none can debate the role of the Udipi restaurants in popularising it.

While the dosa is famously known as a staple food at south Indian homes, it is a popular breakfast option among others too. The dosa, at 23 million orders, was the second-most popular food item ordered in calendar year 2024 via the Swiggy app.

And, it turns out that they are also healthy. While breakfast is hailed as the most crucial meal of the day, the dosa is considered as a healthy breakfast option as the fermented rice and lentil batter provide good carbohydrates and protein to our body.

So, it is not surprising that the south Indian dish, which is a favourite among north Indians too, witnessed 8.5 million orders, while for idlis, the number was 7.8 million.

And, Bengaluru residents were the ones who enjoyed the dosa's other avatar by ordering 2.5 million masala dosas between Jan. 1 and Nov. 22, according to Swiggy.