Palakkad Iyers are a small community which effortlessly straddle the language, customs and cuisine of both Tamizh Nadu and Kerala!
Palakkad is a border town in Kerala on the banks of the Kalpathy river. The history of how Tamizh Brahmins migrated into Kerala from Tamizh Nadu is a subject that throws up many possibilities
But the most plausible theory seems to be the prolonged drought and resultant poverty with little or no support from the ruler of the state. This caused an exodus of Brahmins to Palakkad from Trichy, Madurai etc.
These new entrants were not allowed to participate in the local temple activities – being the bastion of Namboodiris. So, they built their own temples in each dwelling known as Agraharams.
An Agraharam is typically a row of homes on either side of the street meeting at the end where a temple was built, almost like a garland!
The people placed a lot of importance on education and learning. Many Palakkad Iyers went on to hold important positions as bureaucrats, accountants, musicians, cooks, teachers and professors. My own grandfather taught high school Maths for several years in Malaysia in the ’50s and later taught MBA Maths in India. My mother and Aunt were both Maths teachers all their adult lives. Unfortunately the Maths gene completely bypassed me.
The Palakkad Iyers speak with a distinct accent! Although the spoken language is almost always Tamizh, it is laced with a strong Malayalam accent and it’s a source of much good-natured teasing.
The food is very influenced by the local produce of Kerala and most vegetarian dishes of Kerala find a place in our kitchens. Although the traditional Palakkad Iyers will eschew onion and garlic, the younger generations have relaxed these restrictions.
Daily meals would include sambhar, rasam, a stir fry with the vegetable du jour, some papadams, pickles all ending with a mandatory yoghurt rice!
Tiffin is important in the scheme of things as a filler between lunch and dinner! Usually eaten in the early evening hours, this includes either dosai, idlis, adai, upma and if one is feeling particularly indulgent – medu vadas or potato bondas. All washed down with a tumbler of filter kaapi!
Desserts are usually milk based like Paal payasam Or Semiya Payasam, or jaggery based like Modaks, Ela ada and Boli ( similar to Puran poli).
Sunday specials would be Avial Or Erisseri Or Mambazha Pulissery (mango kadhi in lay terms). While we are primarily rice eaters, chapati has been adopted in recent times.
Some of the unique Palakkad Iyer dishes include Molagootal ( a one pot veggies and lentils curry in coconut sauce), Molakushyam (a pepper intense veggies and lentils curry that is great postpartum food as well as a soothing meal for convalescents), Rasakalan, Morukootan (yoghurt based curry usually with ash gourd or spinach or fried okra ) etc.
The migration that happened some centuries ago, set the stage for further relocation in recent times. The ’50s and ’60s saw a movement of people to Mumbai. Large pockets of Sion and Matunga were like any suburb of the South! The ’70s and ’80’s was a time when people looked to the Gulf countries for better employment. Once the IT boom was upon us, the next port of call was the United States. Today, you’ll find us in any corner of the world!
Here, I’ve shared the recipe of a beautiful dish called Olan. Very light, subtle flavours and almost like a soup, this vegan curry makes a perfect side to tamarind based curries like sambhar or Vathal Kuzhambu (made with fried turkey berries and nightshade berries in a spicy tamarind sauce).
Recipe:
- Hydrate and pressure cook a cup of red cow peas with a pinch of salt.
- Peel and chop ash gourd and potatoes into one cm thick slices. Chop unripe pumpkin in similar fashion.
- Cook the vegetables with salt and a little water till done but not mushy.
- Add the cow peas and a cupful of thick coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and turn off the heat. Add curry leaves, slit green chillies and a drizzle of coconut oil.
Watch this recipe here – Palakkad Iyer Chapaadu
Deepa Ravi is a 53 year old almost empty nester. A Home Science graduate with a specialisation in Textiles from Nirmala Niketan college, Mumbai, she worked in the Garment export industry for almost a decade till she hung up her boots to be a stay-at-home mom. Once they grew up, her husband Ravi and Deepa started a daycare centre for children of working parents which kept them busy for over 15 years! At the onset of COVID, they shut shop and are now living a semi-retired life. Today, she enjoys her passion for cooking through Instagram which has created many friendships virtually.
Translations and detailed descriptions are provided to give a better understanding of the story to people from different cultural backgrounds across the globe.