Imagine being able to go back in time: to the Kurinji mountain region in the Sangam period; or the plush forest regions of Mullai; or the agriculture-rich plains and valleys of Marutham; or the arid desert regions of Pālai; or even boating along the coast of Neythal.
It’s an impossible adventure, since we don’t have the ability to travel through time yet. But our tastebuds do!
The Park, in collaboration with Chef Shri Bala, brings to you Tamizhaga Ula, a curation of the varied food cultures of the regions mentioned above.
“Food is my passion. My core is forgotten recipes of South India — Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Kerala and Karnataka. I research on the rustic and forgotten recipes of those regions. This particular event is a curation of unheard recipes of Tamil Nadu,” says Bala.
“We are consciously leaving out Chettinad cuisine. People are already introduced to that particular cuisine and it’s already popular in today’s world,” says Bala, describing how the curated dishes are going to give the city’s foodies a new experience.
“We are introducing dishes that have been cooked in households but never at a restaurant. These are all based on the landscapes.”
When one looks into the food culture of these different regions, they see a shift with regard to the produce and availability of crops, fruits and vegetables.
The chef adds, “We call it sezhumai in Tamil; meaning ‘the greenery’. You will have roots from one region, millets from another, fish from Neythal and hardcore meat as well.”
All of this is the result of an extensive research on the culture, region and lifestyles of the Sangam period Tamizhagam region.
“I sat with historians and archaeologists. They told me what ingredients were available back then. There are no instant recipes available because a majority of them are not written. I got a hold of the food culture in that era. The food items showcased are authentic to these regions today.”
Sitting in the kitchens of her friends’ paatis whilst travelling around South India, Bala uncovered a treasure trove of recipes, almost forgotten in today’s world of pastas and pizzas.
She says, “Whenever I travel, I get to learn cuisines from households. I have reproduced these. I learn as I cook along with my friends’ grannies and mothers.”
When asked for a sneak peek into the quirky dishes, she gushes, “We are preparing a dessert made of cotton seed milk. It is called paruthi paal . With that milk, we will make sakkarai pongal . It is from a very niche family — a community called Thanjavur Saurashtrans.”
This dish comes from close to where Bala’s family is rooted — Kumbakonam.
Curating these dishes is an adventure in itself for Bala, who travelled all the way to the Nilgiris to meet the Toda and the Badaga tribes.
“We are trying to cover as many communities as we can. We have taken up tribal food too. We have got two dishes from two different tribes in the Nilgiris, the Todas and the Badagas. From the Todas, we are introducing a special curd rice made of buffalo milk. They are vegetarians, while the Badagas are non-vegetarians,” says Bala.
We might still not have time machines, but delving into cuisines that represent these regions, in what was then known as Tamizhagam, is a great place to start.
