Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Spicing up the main event

— Photo: S.R.Raghunathan

Taste of Tamil Nadu: Kanimozhi, MP, at an event to showcase culinary delights at the Chennai Sangamam.

CHENNAI: Lemon idiayappam pairs with kosumalli, adai with aviyal and pal appam with dhal vadai…

The cuisines that have been lined up to spice up the Chennai Sangamam are sure to satiate the taste buds of the visitors as they slake their crave for fine arts at the cultural extravaganza.

Member of Parliament and Coordinator of Tamil Maiyam Kanimozhi said that the food festival added colour and flavour to the fine arts show. “It’s getting bigger and better every year and I hope people enjoy and relish our Tamil culture through the event.” She was speaking at the food tasting session here on Saturday. Chennai Sangamam is being organised by Tamil Maiyam and the State Tourism and Culture Department.

Presented by South India Culinary Association, the ‘Tamil Unavu Tiruvizha’ seeks to infuse hygiene to the street food and uncover long-forgotten food varieties of the State.

Eighteen top-slot hotels are pooling their culinary skills to provide the best of Tamil food. The fare is spread across 12 venues – Cantonment playground, GST Road; Chennai Corporation playground, Kodambakkam; Lady Wellington College grounds, Kamarajar Salai; Nageswara Rao Park, Mylapore; Natesan Park, T. Nagar; Tower park, Anna Nagar; Periyar playground, Valasaravakkam; Ashok Nagar Park; Elliots Beach; Independence Day Park, Nungambakkam; Thiru.Vi.Ka. Park, Shenoy Nagar; and ECR Road, Palavakkam.

If Nanjil Nadu’s pepper chicken with greasy paratta shoots up the calories, it is complemented with low-fat, high-fibre ‘Sangakala Unavu’ like kambankali and ‘kathirikai vathakozhambu.’ This apart, there is a lip-smacking spread of Kongunadu, Nagarkoil, Thanjavur-Raja Sarfoji, Chola Nadu and Arcot cuisines. Some of the signature dishes of various locations such as ‘Irrutukadai Halwa,’ ‘Srivilliputhur’ Palkova, ‘Kovilpatti’ Kadalaimittai and ‘Manapparai’ Murukku could be sloshed in with a chilled glass of creamy ‘Jigardhanda.’

“We expect half a million people to indulge in this carefully prepared spread. Over 400 dishes will be on sale. Many of the head chefs of the participating hotels have made extensive research on the cuisines to make them taste authentic,” said P. Soundararajan, General Secretary of Indian Federation of Culinary Associations. Tamil Maiyam founder Jegath Gasper Raj and M.Mahadevan, Director of Oriental Cuisines participated in the programme.

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