The 145;Royal146; Platter

8216;8216;There were several references to food customs,8217;8217; says Jacob. He and his research team of 90 students of the Cherran8217;s Arts and Science College, fanned out across Tamil Nadu. His references also included Balaji Raja, a descendant of Serfoji Raja, the 19th century Thanjavur king. What he came up with, was not just meant to tickle the palate but also give you a whiff of the imperial kitchens. 8216;8216;Even our rajas loved biriyani, which they called Oon Soru,8217;8217; he says, reciting a verse from his Sangam jottings. He also discovered Kalpura Camphor Nandu Crab curry with the black till seed powder along with fried appalams; chicken cooked with saffron strands and sambar roti, which had sambar masala kneaded into the dough.

There are several snippets, discovered by Jacob and his team on their 8216;royal8217; kitchen tour. The cooks in the Chera Kingdom, first introduced Pongal, the use of unpeeled potatoes, and the use of coconut shells for softening meat and not marinating meat. The Cholas greeted visitors of other kingdoms with a special lunch called ThoothuvarSappadu, a heavy meal with rice and curries made of hunted meat. The Pandyas were the first to discover the art of preserving and marinating hunted meat and drying it in the sun. It was then deep fried and used in curries. There were special cooks for the kings and the queens. While the queens got a low-calorie diet, the menu for the soldiers included high-fat non-vegetarian food. The kings were given fatty food with rich garnishes.

Jacob reconfirmed the recipes with a descendant of a cook of the Thanjavur Palace. He will hold a royal food festival, first for the people who helped him and then for the public in a star hotel in Chennai on September 29. Depending on the response to the dishes, he will sell the recipes to Star hotels across the country.