Vadai is an extremely popular snack of the Tamils. According to food historian K. T. Achaya, Vadai (vada) was popular among ancient Tamils between 100 BCE – 300 CE. In Tamil areas, the daytime is a little longer as there is no winter season. Hence the afternoon, snacks with tea or coffee is an age-old …
When did curry come to Britain? Some would say, in the 19th century when the first Indian curry house was opened in London. Others would say, in the 13th century when the first curry recipe book was published in England. Yet another, would say, it came via the Portuguese in the 16th century. However, it …
The spices of the Tamils and King Solomon were mentioned in the Bible. In some ancient Tamil works of literature, the word Curry is also referring to Spices. Queen of Sheba, according to Jewish and Islamic traditions, ruler of the kingdom of Sabaʾ (or Sheba) in southwestern Arabia. (Ethiopia). In the biblical account of the …
The Vikings is the modern name given to seafaring Norse pirates from southern Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden) who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe. They also voyaged as far as the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and North America. In …
Curry, as we know now is a Tamil word and the Tamil word, Mandalam refers to an area, district, or zone. The Mandalam is an ancient word like that of Curry. During the reign of the great Tamil Chola dynasty emperor RasaRasan (King of the Kings) of the 11th century, his territory was known as …
What is your favourite kind of rice? In your local supermarket you’ll probably have come across Basmati or even the easy cook versions. If you are a person who would choose whole bread instead of white then you’ll probably be careful about the type of rice you choose too. Basmati usually tastes better but it …
Muligatawny Elsewhere in this site’s home page under the title ‘Curry crisis – A Tip of the Iceberg’, you may have come across the issue of ‘Mulligatawny’ (sic). We have also seen that the word ‘Mulligatawny’ (sic) refers to two Tamil words together Black Pepper (Milaku) and Water (Thannee(r)) which is in fact ‘black pepper …
I have had a few emails asking for clarifications between Tamil Curry and Indian Curry. Make no mistake, a country called India never existed previously, instead it was carved out by the British in the 18th or 19th century. So it was only after this point that various different lands were merged to create the …
Millets are one of the oldest grains known to humanity. Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grain, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. These grains are highly nutritious and are grown in marginal and low fertile soil. Considered an ancient grain, millets are grown mainly …
Before the invention of modern ceramic plates, people all over the world used materials that nature provided. Tamils were not exempt.Ancient Tamils stitched together, banyan leaves, jack tree leaves, palmyra tree leaves, coconut tree leaves, and lotus tree leaves, etc., and use them to serve food. Eating food from banana leaves is an age-old tradition …