What the Fork: From Thanjavur to Chettinad, Kunal Vijayakar Explores Culinary Culture of Tamil Nadu

One way of telling stories is to read them from a book, another way is to have someone tell you their account, but the best way, is to actually be part of the story. My dear friend Rakesh Raghunathan, who has made it his life’s mission to spread the word and taste the South Indian cuisine as well as shine a light on the custodians of these traditional knowledge systems has set out on the road to discover the food of his ancestors on a show that I watched called, Highway Dreams on Zee Zest. As he drives through Tamil Nadu’s Chettinad region, full of heritage, art and culture, across the most scenic highway in the state, between Madurai and Sathyamangalam, and through the Western Ghats, I got teary-eyed with emotion and the memory of the spice of Chettinad food. Rameswaram is also famous for its seafood and you will find many local hotels and restaurants, which serve fresh cuttlefish, crab and baby octopus all cooked in traditional gravies or simply fried or grilled. To truly experience the cuisine of Tamil Nadu, Rakesh recommends cuisines from Thanjavur and the food from the interior areas of Dindigul and the Nilgiris as well.