Chettinad Cuisine : Influences on a Single Plate

Food is an integral part of our survival. Without it we cannot survive and sustain. The food has evolved over a period of time, starting from the time of palaeolithic comprising of a diet of plants and their to consuming smoked or dried forms of meat till here with a vivacious and innumerable diversity in cuisines and their confluence due to a variety of factors affecting our very sustenance. A cuisine of a particular place depends on a plethora of factors such as climate, geography, availability of resources, occupation etc. Indian cuisine dates back to over 5000 years. Over the years it has been greatly influenced by various different cultures from all over the world. Celebrated across the country for its brilliant variety of delicacies, Chettinad Cuisine is vibrant, vivid and vivacious by all means. The traditional cuisine of Tamil Nadu’s Chettiar community, Chettinad cuisine has a culinary tradition unlike any other. Generally synonymous with very spicy food, in reality, Chettinad cuisine is a complex blend of well-balanced flavours.

In this paper we have tried to explore the Chettinad Cuisine and the different factors that have affected it over a period of time, adding and subtracting different elements in the very foundation of it and where it stands today. We have endeavoured to explore the history, factors and the confluence of various cultures like Portuguese, Tamil Brahmin, Malaysian, Sri Lankan etc. which have persisted, changed, were adapted and adopted by the Chettiars bringing a delectable, encompassing and well textured global cuisine in a single plate. Fusion – a modern term generally denoting mixing of cultures was already happening for years and can be thought of as a new term to relabel the old practice of including elements from other cultures and slow removal of less feasible elements leading to their disappearance over time. In this research paper we seek to correct the misrepresentation of Chettinad Cuisine as fiery enough to numb all the senses and seen as a paradise for non- vegetarians only. There is more to Chettinad cuisine than just ‘Chettinad Chicken Curry’!

When we hear the term “Chettinad Cuisine” the first thing that comes to our mind is “Chettiand Chicken Curry” isn’t it? Is Chettinad Cuisine all about Chettiand chicken curry, I think not. A cuisine in itself composite of many things, but generally we tend to link a single popular dish of a particular state or a cuisine with it. We tend to forget that the beauty of a cuisine or state lies in it’s plurality and the diversity.

 It’s a common saying in Chettinad that “One is lucky to eat like a Chettiar[1]”. Now the question arises who are Chettiars? Nagarathars or Natukottai Chettiars are the mercantile community who lived in the Chettinad village which is located in a dry and arid region. Meena Thenappan[2] , the R and D Head of Mahamudra Restaurant shares the popular legend existing of the Chettiar community initially belonging to the coastal town of Poompuhaar which got submerged in the Bay of Bengal during a tsunami and the shifting of the Chettiar community in the dry and the arid regions of Tamil Nadu in the current village of Chettinad. The cuisine of any place is always affected by a host of factors, this change in the geographical location, along with other factors like the influential and the growing trade of the Chettiars with the rest of Southeast Asia, their frequent travels, availability of resources had contributed a lot to the shaping of the Chettinad Cuisine.

The first inclusion of non-vegetarian items is said to be of the sea food and later when they moved to the arid regions the inclusion of small games like rabbit, quail, chicken, and other items took place. Savita Radhakrishnan, a food historian shares that till the late 18th CE Chettiar’s were mostly vegetarian. The influence of Andhra cuisine from where they migrated is seen through the inclusion of non- vegetarian items [3]. Some also believe that this happened due to their travels that helped in removing their culinary taboos, others are of the view that due to the difficulty in growing vegetables[4]. The influences from the other cuisines took place due to their frequent visits and their stay in Burma, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia etc. The spice trade and the exchange with these Southeast countries have heavily influenced the food. Meena Thenappan shares that it’s possible that the Chettiars have borrowed the Masal Vadas from the Burmese cuisine, Idiyappams, appams etc. from Sri Lankan food which is uniform in both the cuisine, the glutinous rice from Malaysia- one of the famous sweet dishes made of the forbidden black rice (kavunni arisi)[5] is the absolute Chettinad favourite.  The steaming method is taken from Indonesia. The former Bombay Canteen chef, Thomas Zacharias says that Chettinad cuisine “borrows heavily from Asian Cuisine” – they had their cuisine inspired from their travel to different Southeast Asian countries.

Mrs. Meyyappan – one of the pioneers of Chettinad cuisine and the founder of The Bangala -a Heritage boutique hotel in Karaikudi, loathes the generic umbrella term “South Indian cuisine”. She is best known for her book she has co-authored with her sister making an immense contribution in preserving the authentic nature and the methods for the preparation of this cuisine. She shares that,” Even the foreigners who come to the hotel tell that the food isn’t spicy enough. I have to explain to them what the cuisine is really like. The food at my home is often milder.” She believes that this phrase of ‘Chettinad food being spicy’ is a complete misnomer. Even this popular belief of it having fried items, she dispels it by saying that the number of fried items is restricted to three. Chettinad food is very light on stomach because they belong to an arid region and Chettinad cuisine involves simple and light cooking[6]. This cuisine knows how to economise the food as it can be witnessed in the use of Mandi[7].

The misconceptions about the Chettinad food could be allotted to the restaurants which got established in Chennai who had added their own personal touch to the cuisine and altered the tangy flavour into a fiery one, giving a new face to the cuisine itself. Some believe that this spicy reputation of the cuisine comes from the grounded and freshly crushed peppercorns and many have confirmed the fact the closest dish that comes to Chicken Chettinad is Chicken Pepper Fry as it’s locally known and as the name itself suggests, it’s quite heavy on pepper. Not all the dishes use a lot of spices but there are some dishes that are spicy and use a lot of masalas but it’s wrong to generalize the whole cuisine as spicy, oily and fried on the basis of just a few signature dishes.

Pushpesh Pant in his book, India Cookbook mentions, “Spices are undeniably at the heart Indian cooking and give the cuisine it’s unique flavour and aroma. In India almost all spices are believed to have therapeutic properties and they are used in recipes in harmony with changing seasons.” There are some special spices used in Chettinad cuisine which makes it stand apart from the others. The secret ingredients of this cuisine are Kalpasi (black stone flower) and Marathi Mukku (dried flower pods) along with well known spices like cinnamon, fenugreek, cloves, peppercorns, star anise, coriander seeds, bay leaf, dried red chillies (mostly used for the colour). etc. Not all spices are used in all the dishes but these are the main components that are used in the Chettinad curry masala. Although at a lesser number, one can still see the big hand pounders and the stone grinders in the Valavu (courtyard) or the Moomankattu (utility and the kitchen).  Moomankattu is divided into two parts: The actual cooking area is known as Adukala and the second half of the kitchen that is the preparation area is known as Irandankattu . The Valavu is used for sun drying the meat and the vegetables, this preservation technique is inherent in the Chettinad cuisine. The brine pickles, sun dried items and some other specific ingredients are the ones that make Chettinad food so distinct from the others.

The Chettiars are a superstitious and rigid bunch while serving their meal. In a wedding, 6 main course dishes, 9 savoury dishes and 6 types of sweet are served. They will always serve the food in a specific sequence and always in odd numbers[8]. It’s a rare exception when 16 items of food are served in a Chettiar household. The breakfast and dinner mainly comprise of iddiyappams, paniyarams and Dosais with different chutneys. Lunch in a Chettiar household is an elaborate affair where the food is served on a plantain leaf. The importance in the Chettinad cuisine is given to colour, to the cut and no two dishes have the same cut. Some of the famous non- vegetarian dishes are Karaikudi Eral Masala, Kada Fry, Nandu Masala, Mutton Chukka, Chicken Pepper Fry popularly known as Chicken Chettinad and many more. Just because non- vegetarian dishes are more famous that doesn’t mean Chettinad cuisine is lacking some good Vegetarian dishes. Some of the great vegetarian dishes are Kuzhi Paniyaram, Parappu Urundai Kuzambhu , Vendakkai Varuval , Paal paaysam , Kozhukattai and one of the dishes one should never miss is the vegetarian fish curry – Vaizhaipoo Kuzahambhu.

When the men were generally out for business trips , the women started experimenting and those who were more enterprising than others started the restaurants[9]. Before the restaurants with the Chettinad tag only tiffin services and Chinese food was available outside. Some believe that the first Chettinad restaurant was opened in 1953, others in 1976 and some in the 1980’s . Although there are different dates, but it’s broadly accepted that the Chettinad restaurant kick started around the 1960’s – ‘80s . While researching on the background of the Chettiars some believe that they were involved in Salt trade , some said in gemstone trade, others are of the  view that they were involved in spice- trade. What is largely accepted is the fact that they later became involved in banking and money lending which explains their wealth and fortune. The past decade has seen a surge of tourists in this region and we hope that this beautiful confluence of culture that Chettinad is could survive the ravages of time and the globalisation of all the cultures at present.

CONCLUSION

We started of our paper with a simple hypothesis to try and decode the Chettinad cuisine, a cuisine which has a riot of flavours . During our course of journey, we came to find many things and have also discovered viewpoints of many historians. We tried showing the influence of various countries on the cuisine of Chettinad and also witnessed the fact that a cuisine isn’t just for taste and internal satisfaction but also adheres to some social norms as well. Throughout the paper we have explored the various spices used in the cuisine and the dishes prepared by them. Hence, we can say that that the authentic Chettinad Cuisine stays with the Chettiars themselves.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/chettinad-food-10-ingredients-that-make-it-a-lip-smacking-affair-1253214

2. https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/All-the-way-from-Karaikudi/article14397076.ece

3.https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/62917/chettinad-cuisine-tamil-adu/amp/&ved=2ahUKEwiF1pmzjenvAhX6zjgGHcxC2EQFjANegQIQRAC&usg=AOvVaw0CeW_5I4EJpTvMCGSDVYki&ampcf=1&cshid=1617694724872

4. https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/chettinad-journey-with-alfred-prasad

5. https://m.timesofindia.com/life-style/food-news/what-is-chettinad-cuisine-and-what-makes-it-so-special/photostory/69041152.cms

6. https://www.thequint.com/podcast/southern-slurp-chettinad-cuisine-tasty-local-historic-subtle-yet-spicy-chettiar-story

7. https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/69835/the-best-of-chettinad-cuisine-and-heritage

8. India Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant

9. https://thrillingtravel.in/flavors-of-chettinad-cuisine.html

10. https://www.cntraveller.in/story/6-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-chettinad-cuisine-bombay-canteen-bangala-mumbai-karaikudi/?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=CNTIndia-SocialShareConversions

 11. https://youtu.be/7OtxLENK7QU 12. https://youtu.be/tbQWjLFW6VM 13. www.chidambaravilas.com

14. Culinary Express

15. From Karaikudi , With love – The Hindu

16. http://www.natgeotraveller.in/guts-and-glory-on-a-chettinad-food-pilgrimage-in-south-india/

17. Explore the real Flavour of Chettinad Cuisine and it’s Culinary treasures in Karaikudi- Ndtv.food.org

18. Tamil Cuisine : A key to promote tourism in Tamil Nadu by T. Milton

19.Culture and Food habits of Chettinad With special reference to culinary tradition - a case study -R. Ramesh-Dept of tourism and hospitality management

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[1] The Chettinad kitchen is always well-stocked, so much so there is a story where a thief enters a Chettinad household, cooks and comes out after a month of stay. Well, the Chettiars love their kitchen.

[2] Tracing the roots of Tamil Cuisine – The Chettinad Connection, Taste of Tamil Nadu. This same story is shared by Neha Sumitran in “Guts and Glory: On a Chettinad Food Pilgrimage in South India.

[3] Pg. 21, Food Regions of India, Pushpesh Pant in his India Cookbook.

[4] Neha Sumitran in “Guts and Glory: On a Chettinad Food Pilgrimage in South India”.

[5] This forbidden black rice was only served to the reserved noble class of China. The Chettiars grew a taste for this particular rice.

[6] Meena Thenappan in Tracing the riots of Tamil Cuisine- The Chettinad Connection, Taste of Tamil Nadu.

[7] Mandi means residue. It is the residual water of the washed rice which has a certain colour to it and is considered very nutritious for health and is also used to make curries.

[8] Many of the articles referred to the serving of dishes in a proper sequence. First the paniyarams and chutneys, then the vegetables, meats, rice and sambhal rice and then the sweet items. Small quantities are served for each course making it a well-balanced and wholesome meal. For more details you can refer to ' Food secrets: Exploring the spicy and spirited cuisine of Chettinad.

[9] Savati Radhakrishnan : a food historian and author : Tracing the riots of Tamil Cuisine- The Chettinad Connection, Taste of Tamil Nadu.

Authors :

Khushi Kesari, Purbasha Mukherjee

2nd Year, History Hons, Kirori Mal College.