If you probably ask your father or grandfather about what they used to have as snacks while going to the movies or spending time with friends, the answer would be the crunchy verkadalai (groundnuts) or pattani (peas) wrapped in paper cones and stuffed into pockets.
But now, thanks to the entry of chips packaged in a fancy manner, the number of shops selling these nuts is declining. “Earlier, there used to be over 500 shops in the city. Now, the numbers are dwindling. As of now, there are around 300 outlets,” says G. M. Kumar, who along with his father K.G. Murthy, runs a shop selling peanuts and puffed rice in Mylapore.
They have been running the shop for nearly 35 years now. “Many people from Thanjavur district came to the city before independence and set up the varukadalai shops. Odacha kadalai (fried gram), roasted groundnuts, peas, aval (flattened rice) and pori (puffed rice) were some of the items they used to sell,” adds Murthy.
The duo claim that with the entry of chips, many children have now stopped eating the nuts and grams as snacks. “They are lured by the taste of masala. One packet of chips costs around Rs. 20. Apart from the health aspect, the quantity is also less. But 100 grams of peanuts is only Rs. 14 and it is healthy too,” says Kumar.
D. Kannan, whose father has been running one such shop in Station Road, West Mambalam, for the past fifty years, says that the lack of new outlets is due to the fact that people do not know how to roast the nuts. “No preservatives are added in what we sell. Turmeric and salt is all that is used to enhance the taste,” he says.
All three though say that there is a ray of hope for those in the business. “People have slowly started realising the health benefits of the nuts. Many diabetics approach us for samba flattened rice,” he claims.
