CHETTINAD HERITAGE

Tucked away in the corner of Tamil Nadu’s Sivagangai district, is the region called Chettinad – the land of the Chettiars. This red-soiled region is well known for its deeply entrenched traditions, heritage, culture, architecture and the most famous being their culinary skills. Chettinad is the homeland of the Nattukottai Chettiars also referred to as Nagarathars, a prosperous banking and business community. For centuries the Nagarthars have been reputed, for their architectural skill, their distinct array of arts and craft forms, and the world famed Chettinad handloom sarees. But above all these, they have been renowned the world over, for their skill in the kitchen as masters of the palate.Chettinad cuisine is a delightful balancing act between spice and all the ingredients which have gone into its making, none overpowering the other and together they give a beautiful flavour to the food that does equal justice to both vegetarian and non–vegetarian expectations. Dishes are served hot, with a delicate mix of spices and a hovering aroma of ghee, freely used to enrich the serving. Owing to the dryness of the region, sun–dried meat, and salted vegetables are also indigenous to the cuisine. Seafood, chicken and lamb, all droolworthy and smothered in delicious masala form the non–vegetarian menu, while the South Indian favourites such as Idiyappam, Paniyaram varieties, Kozhakkattai and Athirasam, have all found their way into everyday snacking from the kitchens of Chettinad.Adupadi stands for ‘kitchen’ in colloquial Tamil.