In India, travel in any direction and every few kilometres, the food changes. It is that special feature about India’s culture and cuisines that makes an interesting discovery to embark on.
A trip taken by SWĀD, a growing community of independent foodies formed as a movement by the Department of Hotel Management of Christ University, recently went through several regions in Tamil Nadu to explore, discover and savour the array of cuisines in the Southern State.
With the aim of educating and contributing towards local and traditional food, promoting farmers and sustainable farming practices and urban farming as well as reducing food waste, SWĀD hopes to encourage and excite young people about local, traditional and ethical food practices. Set up in 2014, the movement has undertaken several events and activities to further their cause, through Khoj, an initiative to explore eateries – small, big, famous, unheard of and unique, around Bengaluru and across India.
Kerwin Savio Nigli, the academic coordinator at the Department of Hotel Management, Christ University, and frontman of this initiative, explains that Khoj is an exploration of food cultures and local cuisines, be it traditional or new-age. “The aim is to explore, document and share our experiences. As part of Khoj, we have visited farms, food industries, famous restaurants in Bengaluru and across the country in Tamil Nadu, Pune, Mumbai and Punjab.”
A recent trip undertaken across Tamil Nadu, the sixth of its kind, had a team of young chefs, hospitality students and foodies embark on an exploration of farms, food processing units, poultry farms and discovery of local food across Tamil Nadu, including Salem, Trichy, Thoothukudi, Udangudi, Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Oddanchathiram, Pollachi, Coimbatore and Erode.
“The trip was fantastic. We explored parts of Tamil Nadu’s cuisine, including various food processing units, a sago factory in Salem, a country chicken farm in Trichy, salt pans in Thoothukudi and more. The experience was amazing and the students who came along gained a wealth of knowledge,” says Kerwin. “Learning and experience is our focus. We want people to experience the actual cuisine of that particular region.”
He hopes that the experience will revive interest in local food. “We want to promote local cuisine, and encourage a deeper understanding of Indian cuisine. We hope this will translate in the students culinary skills since our course’s final year requires them to specialise in their mother cuisine.”
Nigel Pais, a final year culinary specialisation student, says: “The tour was informative. It not only focused on culinary exposure but helped us identify and learn about the different food cultures in Tamil Nadu. We experienced cooking with the locals in Manapad, relishing local cuisines, enjoying various community meals and gained insight about different cooking techniques and ingredients.”
Exploring food from across the country, Kerwin says, goes beyond the pleasure of a good meal.
“It is a discovery of culture. The experience of having a meal in Kanyakumari, for example, is an adventure in itself. For breakfast there are steamed cakes (puttu) with green gram and sugar. That combination is unique to the region. It is not possible to experience this unless we go there. It is the same for padaneer, a cool concoction sold on palm leaves. Similarly, there is the Goundar cuisine and the Chettiar cuisine in Coimbatore where they serve a keda virundhu prepared using all parts of a goat. These kind of community-based meals can only be experienced live and that rich cultural and historical encounter is what we offer.”
Kerwin adds that their next trip is to Kashmir in October. “We've already covered Punjab, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. We encourage more students to join in this journey of discovery and learning.”
For more details visit facebook.com/swadfestival or call 9886790039
