Travel blogger and cookery show host Rakesh Raghunathan on discovering the town of Kayalpatnam, which lies on the outskirts of Tuticorin
A few of my friends are from Thuthukudi (Tuticorin) and they keep raving about its beauty. That’s how I heard about the quaint little town of Kayalpatnam. Surrounded by beautiful beaches — white sands and blue waters — this town is very proud of its rich history and culture. I decided to go there to explore the people, place and of course, food, as part of a cookery show I host. As we drove there, I found out that the locals are actually descendants of Moroccans who had once come there for trade — so Muslims form 90 per cent of the population. Also, apparently this is the only place in India not to have a single police station!
This could explain why the people of Kayalpatnam are so hospitable. Despite their limited means, they welcomed me into their homes and shared their food with me. The dishes are a mixture of Moroccan and Tamil cuisine — in fact, the main occupation of the women is to sell unique sweets and snacks, which are not made in any other part of the world. Two dishes I really liked were the dum adai, which is much like the Middle Eastern baspoosa; as well as this deep-fried dish called the vaada. It looked like a flying saucer, and was stuffed with a filling of dried and powdered maasi karuvadu (predominantly found in Maldives), onions and spices. Apart from this, their kanji made from shredded mutton is a speciality during Ramzan, with which they break their fast.
It’s not just their food; I noticed that even their traditions are unique. A family invited me to dine with them, and I met their son-in-law. Was he visiting, or was he here on vacation, I was wondering to myself. I asked a few young boys who were at the home, and they told me that the son-in-law lived there! So as custom goes, post-marriage, the groom lives with the bride’s family sort of like a veetoda maapillai. And no matter how far or wide the children go to study or work, they always marry someone from the same community in Kayalpatnam.
Their sense of dressing and communication has also been well-preserved over the years. The boys and men wear pristine white veshtis, be it to school college or office, and the women dress in burkhas. When I tried saying vanakkam, they just stared blankly. Then it struck me — “As-salamu alaykum,” I greeted them, and “Walaykumu s-salam,” came their reply! I happily continued walking through the narrow street with houses on either side, delighted that I got to discover the coastal town, Kayalpatnam.
