CHENNAI: Idli sambar” “Dosai” “Beef biryani” “Sundals” — the audience bellowed one answer over the other when chef and food historian Rakesh Raghunathan asked what foods they found unique to Chennai. But by the time we left the Madras Week event ‘Culinary Notes from Madras’, hosted by Hanu Reddy Residences, our answers were far different. “Three hundred and eighty-three years from what it was to what Madras is today, this place is a microcosm of culture, of anything you can imagine,” Rakesh began, delving into the cross influences of the various cultures that have left a longstanding mark on the cuisine of today’s Madras.
Bringing in the culture
When Fort St George started developing, many communities like the Komati Chettys, the Marwaris, the Thanjavur Marathas, and the Saurashtrians began migrating for work, Rakesh said. These communities continue to stay in Madras and are a part of the culinary family. “The Komati Chettys were predominantly vegetarians, who worked as travellers and traders. Their cuisine was inspired by their journeys. They had something called pulusu pindi, which was an upma of sorts made with rice flour. They would add tamarind as a natural preservative (for long journeys). The Marwaris settled in the region of Sahukar and hold on to their cuisine till today. They may speak in Tamil but go back to their roots on festive occasions. Their cuisine evolved from whatever resources they had, from absolute drought conditions. People in and around Sowcarpet continue to make daal baati, which is the piece de résistance. Then, there were the Thanjavur Marathas who travelled from Maharashtra to the south and picked up different influences, cooking techniques, spices, ingredients and vegetables. When they conquered Thanjavur, they never imposed on the locals but rather, adapted to them. The cuisine is an eclectic blend of flavours. Take Kadappa, which is made in Kumbakonam. Even though it is mostly made by Tamils, the recipe is influenced by Marathas with spices that they picked up in their journey down south. The Saurashtra community came here when they fled because of the invasion. They were master weavers and patronised by Vijayanagara kings. You’ll still find them here and in Madurai and Kanchipuram. They have some recipes like bun/bread halwa which is a mashed version of Shahi Tukda from the times of the Mughals. The influences from the Mughals, the north, and Vijayanagara kingdoms are very evident in their food and language,” he shared.
Apart from these communities, there were also others like the Armenians, who were Eastern orthodox Christians and ate meats, breads, and (after coming here) adapted to rice. Rakesh points to a picture of Dolma that is often found in Kolkata but originates in Armenia. To make the same, when they couldn’t find the traditional vine leaves, they adapted with the local paruval or pottal ones, he said. Many Jewish people also settled across the coast of India while fleeing the persecution from Greeks; many found homes here in the south. “Jewish people have dietary laws governed by kosher. So they adapted. Whatever (here) had the addition of yoghurt — say kadhi — they would use coconut milk. This is how cuisine has adapted to the availability of ingredients over the years. There are also Parsis who initially migrated from Persia and had to preserve their Zorastrian identity. They adapted themselves to suit the food here. They made khichdi with coconut milk and had sas, estew and custar which evolved with their close association with the British,” he explained.
Made in Madras
“What is truly Chennai, according to me, is the genesis of the Anglo-Indian cuisine,” claimed Rakesh, who went on to explain the spread of curries from a sautéed meat or vegetable in pepper in Tamil Nadu (kari) to a global phenomenon. We have the Bombay curry (made with Bombay duck), the Bengal curry, and of course, the Madras curry. “This was a concoction of various spices. It was made with fresh powder containing cumin, coriander seeds, fenugreek and different spices according to the region. One brand took the UK by storm with the Madras curry powder, made by P Vencatachellum. The curry may have spread like wildfire, but it is hardly there in any department store or even gourmet store in Chennai,” he added. One of the main reasons for the curry to become so popular across the world is the travel; wherever the British went, so did the curry.
Another important recipe that has its humble beginnings in namma Madras is the mulligatawny soup, said Rakesh. Mulligatawny or mollaga or milagu tanni/ pepper rasam was created, as soup-making was an alien or at least uncommon concept in India. “When the British went to the native cooks and asked for soup, they instead made rasam with less spice and tartness and the British went mad. It is adapted differently across the world with meats like chicken, rabbit, antelope, and other ingredients and thickeners like lemon, raw mangoes, red currant jelly and coconut milk. Despite this, mulligatawny is rarely available in Chennai. Now you tell me, what is Madras food?” he concluded.