Chennai: With the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) embarking on the process of creating a comprehensive digital repository of the Indian cuisines, there is a plea from several quarters to introduce Tamil cuisine trails to showcase the variety of mouth-watering traditional spreads.
A delightful blend of tastes, which trigger the palate ranging from tangy tamarind to spicy chillies, to turmeric and curry leaves highlight the specialty of various communities be it the Iyengar or Chettiyars, Kongunadu or Arcot.
“South Indian delicacies are very different from the north Indian dishes and the range increases as one traverses from Chennai to Madurai or the Chettinad region,” says N. Ravi, a tour operator. In fact, introduction of food trails could help one not only understand our culture but also gain insight into the natural way of keeping one healthy through the intake of right food, he explains.
Government agency FSSAI would involve leading chef associations in the country as well as use “crowd sourcing” of recipes to create large repository of recipes on the platform.
State governments and Tourism development corporations in various states would be asked to contribute to the repository. At present there is no authentic database on recipes across the country.
“We feel that India’s food heritage, its organic nature, geographic indications are largely untapped. By promoting food culture, we want to encourage more entrepreneurs to set up businesses around Indian food and create livelihood opportunities for many in India,” says Preeti Sinha senior president, Yes Bank, and Global Convenor of Yes Global Institute.
Tamil cuisine is also influenced by various rulers right from the times of Pandayas and Cholas till the foreign invasion. The use of sesame oil in most Tamil dishes is believed to be a culinary contribution of the Sangam period.
