The Cuisine and Culture of Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu

Words by Ruba

In January 2025, Cin Cin led a small group on a culinary and cultural road trip through Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. This often-overlooked region of the country is home to spectacular historical sites, offers plenty of enriching cultural experiences and boasts a cuisine that is known for its robust flavours, aromatic spices and rich culinary traditions.

Cin Cin guests first gathered for a welcome dinner at the award-wining Avartana restaurant in Chennai, where Chef Nikhil Nagpal offers a cuisine that is rooted in South Indian ingredients and flavours, but reimagined using contemporary techniques and presentations. Joining for dinner was Dr. Pradeep Chakravarthy, historian and author of numerous books and articles on the history and culture of Tamil Nadu, who delivered an informative talk that set the stage for the upcoming journey. 

Travelling with Cin Cin was Indian chef and cookbook author, Sumeet Nair. Over the course of the 8-day journey, Cin Cin guests delighted in Chef Nair’s thoughtfully curated culinary experiences that included a lavish Franco-Tamil dinner hosted in an old French colonial home and a pan South Indian meal hosted in a traditional Tamil house, both in Pondicherry. Guests were also invited to feast on Saurashtrian-Tamil and Anglo-Indian meals prepared by local tastemakers who are dedicated to the preservation of their communities’ cultural heritage. 

A highlight of the trip was the 3-night stay at The Bangala, a century-old heritage hotel in the heart of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu. Chettinad is home to the historic Chettiar community of merchants and bankers who travelled extensively across Southeast Asia, bringing back ingredients and cooking techniques from foreign lands and using them to develop their own unique cuisine. The renowned kitchen at The Bangala is synonymous with Chettinad cuisine, a culinary gem in the region. The kitchen is also the basis of The Bangala Table, a cookbook co-authored by Chef Nair and the formidable 90-year-old founder of The Bangala, Meenakshi Meyyappan, keeper of her heirloom family recipes. Mrs. Meyyappan also generously hosted Cin Cin guests at her mansion in Karaikudi for an exclusive Chettinad dinner prepared by cooks that have been with her family for generations. 

The journey was studded with cooking demonstrations, banana leaf meals and visits to local markets. And while the itinerary was built around culinary experiences, it was also intertwined with cultural experiences that allowed for a more complete story of the region to be told. A tour by rickshaw of Pondicherry’s historic French Quarter, a tour of the experimental town of Auroville that was established with an eco-utopian vision in mind, a private Bharathanatyam dance performance, a visit to a workshop in Swamimalai where master bronze craftsmen use the “lost wax” casting technique, and visits to important UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Brihadeesvara Temple in Thanjavur and the the Group of Monuments at Mamallapuram – are but a few examples.

The conclusion of the trip brought an overwhelming sense of appreciation for the warmth and kindness of the people of Tamil Nadu, the beauty and depth of their culture and traditions and for their rich and flavourful cuisine. Cin Cin will be back in Tamil Nadu next January. Stay tuned for more information to come.