Knowing a Cuisine - Chettinadu Cuisine

There seems to be no end to the list of things that I want to write about and the posts keep on coming, don't you think. If you think in the same lines as I do then we are on the right track. I was told by a few pro bloggers and my idol Darren Rowse(not personally though) that it's better to write more posts to attract traffic and to attract the spiders. hew.... spiders???

If you are not understanding what I am talking about, I will quickly explain to you as to what I am getting to. I was talking about blogging and one of the ways to be a better blogger.... writing more posts. Do you know blogging can be very lucrative? check my posts on Are you ready to blog and what is a blog. If you are still in the dark let me tell you that I am writing another blog on Earning money blogging.

Anyways, getting back to track apart from my other two series Knowing a Fruit and Knowing a vegetable I am wanting to start another series "Knowing a Cuisine". I would like to start this series with one of my favourite cuisines "The Chettinadu Cuisine" and I would follow these with popular dishes and recipes of a particular cuisine I am writing about. So what is chettinadu/chettinad cuisine?

Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Chettinad is one of the driest regions of south India. The Chettiar community, who are a majority in this region are a very successful trading community. Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India.Chettinad cuisine is famous for its use of a variety of spices used in preparing mainly non-vegetarian food. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas, and topped with a boiled egg that is usually considered essential part of a meal. They also use a variety of sun dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. The meat is restricted to fish, prawn, lobster, crab, chicken and mutton. Chettiars do not eat beef and pork.Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments such as dosais, appams, idiyappams, adais and idlis. The Chettinad people through their mercantile contacts with Burma, learnt to prepare a type of rice pudding made with sticky red rice.

Chettinad cuisine offers a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Some of the popular vegetarian dishes include idiyappam, paniyaram, vellai paniyaram, karuppatti paniyaram, paal paniyaram, kuzhi paniyaram, kozhakattai, masala paniyaram, adikoozh, kandharappam, seeyam, masala seeyam, kavuni arisi & athirasamSpices usedIn Chettinad food, the most important spices are marathi mokku (dried flower pods), anasipoo (star aniseed) and kalpasi (dried bark). In addition, tamarind, whole red chillies and saunf (Fennel seeds) are also used along with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorn, cumin seeds and fenugreek.

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