THE TASTE OF Chettinad Cuisine

The Chettiars of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu participated in spice trade with the Gulf countries, Burma (Myanmar), Java (Indonesia), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Mauritius, and Khmer (Cambodia). While this trading community lived by the sea initially, with time, they prospered and expanded into the dry and hot backcountry. Rare spices being an easy access, availability of seafood in plenty, and wild games like rabbit, quail, and turkey hunted in the arid hinterland, Chettinad cuisine left its mark in the culinary legacy of India. Foreign influences were inculcated in the way vegetables were salted and meats were sun-dried. Hand-pounding of masalas was a custom never to be compromised by homes in temple towns and agrarian villages. Delectable dishes like meen kuzhambu (fish curry), nandu masala (crab masala), kootu (lentil curry), Chettinad kozhi (chicken curry), idiyappam (stringhoppers), and Karaikudi eral masala (juicy prawns prepared with curry leaves) are a must-try. Interestingly, Chettinad cuisine is cooked in specific utensils—which are today considered as collectible vintage makes. If you find time to explore work in Tamil Nadu’s capital city on the Bay of Bengal, Chennai, then finding the gumption to stomach at least one glorious Chettinad meal is what’ll make you exploratory and epicurean. And this will stay as a food memory forever.