Heritage food of Madras in the 70s and 80s

During the Margazhi season, at every sabha, we could see stylish maamis in their kanjeevarams, diamonds and mallipoo twisted around their hair. The aroma of flowers used to fill the hall and during the interval, the smell of dishes like bondas, bajjis, vadas and sweets like kesari and halwa drew the audience outside. The most tempting was the goli paneer soda, which was unique to the south. This soda made an appearance at all large functions, political rallies and weddings. If it was a morning kutcheri or one of Cho’s plays, the food got more interesting — there will be idlis, chutney, uttapam, pongal and vada.

A must for many during the 70s and 80s was the filter coffee. During that time, coffee was a must in most Brahmin households. Americans assumed that they are the ultimate coffee artists, but they probably have not competed with the Chennai filter coffee snobs, who are particular with every ingredient that goes into making the coffee. Freshly brewed coffee was available at most small cafes.

I was studying at Stella Maris College and as a student in the 70s, we had very few resources but plenty of opportunities to explore the different kinds of street food which caught everyone’s fancy. Evening trips to Marina beach meant thenga manga sundal. After playing in the waters, we watched the sunset. Whenever we visit the beach, women selling thenga manga sundal and warm fresh murukkus approached us. It was deliciously fresh with no dressing or frills. The sundal is also served as prasadam during Dussehra or in temples. Besides this, the coconut water seller, the ice cream trolley and neer moru sellers were regulars in the periphery.

Since many North Indians started their business ventures and settled in Madras, chaat items made a big entry. Among the earliest was Gangotri opposite our college and we used to save up every penny to have some golgappa and chaat there. Kachoris and samosas along with Bengali sweets like rasmalai, rasgullas and jamuns captured the fancy of many.

A weekend outing for college students meant eating at the then famous Woodlands drive-in restaurant — one was served in the car if wanted. An important part of most folks in Madras is that the place holds fond memories for most old-timers. It was a landmark by itself. The place offered some of the best dishes like masala dosa, ghee roast, the Madras version of paratha and kurma, rava khichdi, poori-aloo masala, bajjis and Mysore bondas. The crowning glory was the badam halwa and gulab jamun topped with ice cream. Filter coffee faced competition from rose milk and jigarthanda. Actors, who came straight from the shoot to indulge in their favourite dishes, were also a common sight. The prices were reasonable and many enjoyed the privacy of sitting in their cars and eating, which was a rare privilege. When it closed down and the horticultural society took over many shed tears. I still miss the drive-in restaurant. The New Woodlands on Dr Radha Krishnan Salai serves some excellent dishes too. Thali lunch (south Indian or north Indian), tiffin items, dosa and vatha kuzhambu leave a mark on your memory.

In a normal household, only fresh food was served. In my grandmother’s mansion, food was cooked by my aunt who had to bathe and cook in wet clothes which were considered sacred. Food was always served to the gods first and then the crows were fed and lastly the office-goers, school and college-goers sat down to eat. The first meal was lunch which consisted of plain dal, rice, a vegetable, sambar or mor kuzhambu. Vathal kuzhambu and milagu kuzhambu were made on days people had oil baths. Paruppu usili was another unique vegetable lentil dish that was not available outside for a long time. Karpagam Mess, one of the oldest in the city, served it with mor kuzhambu on Thursdays. People ate sambar rice and rasam rice and carried curd rice for lunch to work or college.

Vasant Bhavan in Luz was famous for its different milkshakes and sevai. Sevai, kuzhi appam, and masala sev were its specialties. Dasprakash served the people of north Madras. Its thalis and tiffins were famous all over. The signature item was the beeda, a special one with grated coconut and cardamom on top. Murugan Idli started in T Nagar and now people flock there for the softest idlis.

Those days, Mount Road was bustling with shopping, especially, Spencer’s and VTI (Victoria Technical Institute). But one always landed up in Buhari for the brain fry or bheja fry and biryani. Their egg paratha and kheema curry were famous among most die-hard kheema fans.

Club culture was still very predominant in Madras — Gymkhana and Boat Club were the elitist ones and the Cosmopolitan Club was a close second and served the best vegetarian fare. The varieties ranged from different kinds of idlis, dosas, bondas and their famous thayir sadam with mavudu.

Madras is where the British influence on the local cuisine developed. The British didn’t just adopt the Tamil milagu rasam but altered it to their taste calling it Mulligatawny Soup. You can still find an authentic version at clubs like Gymkhana and the Madras Club. They also popularised cutlets and veg puffs which started selling at local bakeries like Adyar Bakery and Iyengar Bakery.

The marwaris have been doing business in Madras for many decades. You can get any north Indian masala or their famous papads and suparis of all kinds in the shops in Sowcarpet. Murukku sandwich is another famous dish there.

Traditional thali meals or Andhra meals (at restaurants like Amaravati, Velu Military or Junior Kupanna) had an array of non-veg dishes like fish fry, prawn masala and crab poriyal. Early morning on the beach, you could see hoteliers and housewives bargaining with the fishermen for the freshest catch at the cheapest price. Seafood has always been a priority here and fresh fried fish is a common street food item.

Leaving the narrative without a mention of Grand Snacks and Sweets would be a sacrilege. Started in the 70s in Adyar by a brahmin, he started cooking all delicacies like murukku, seedai, thatta, mixture, jangri, adhirasam, badam halwa, polis etc, in pure ghee. He started modestly in a house assisted by his wife and employed destitute women. Krishna Sweets and Sarvana became popular later. There are two classic Tamil recipe books, both frail with age: Nalavima Pakacastiram, published in 1884, and Periya Pakacastiram from 1893, which can be viewed in the public library. It contains a lot of information about Madras and the food of the different areas.

Throughout the day, hawkers used to frequent the streets selling different kinds of candies like coconut biscuits, butter biscuits, coconut candy, cotton candies, popsicles, ice gola and kulfi. Food in those days was associated with a form of expressing love. People did not eat hastily or skip meals. They always allocated time for eating with their family and ate full meals three times a day. They had never heard of dieting. This was namma Madras, now Chennai, a city with gourmet restaurants from all over the world.