Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, known for his literary flair, once again showcased his command over the English language—this time in defence of a humble South Indian staple: the idli.

The exchange began on social media when a user quipped that idli tastes like "steamed regret." The post quickly gained traction, prompting a flavorful rebuttal from Thiruvananthapuram MP Tharoor, who wasn’t about to let the beloved breakfast item be slandered.

“Poor soul has clearly never had a good one,” Tharoor wrote, setting the tone for a tweet that soon became a viral sensation.

“A truly great idli is a cloud, a whisper, a perfect dream of the perfectibility of human civilisation,” he continued. “It's a sublime creation, a delicate, weightless morsel of rice and lentil, steamed to an ethereal fluffiness that melts on the tongue.”

The Congress leader, a known connoisseur of words and culture, didn’t stop there. “With the right accompaniments, it is the culinary equivalent of a Beethoven symphony, a Tagore sangeet, a Husain painting, a Tendulkar century,” he added.

To call idli "regret," he said, is to miss the essence of South Indian culinary culture.

“To call such a thing 'regret' is to have no soul, no palate, no appreciation for the finest achievements of South Indian culture. I can only feel pity…”