Be it Milagutawny soup, or Madras terrace or Madras checks, or Madras gaana or Madras baashai, this folder takes you through everything that originated in Madras also known as Chennai, and travelled around the world.
Milagutawny soup
The humble milagu rasam, a comfort food during Chennai’s monsoon, has travelled the world as millagutawny or mulligatawny soup.
The dish was discovered by the British in Madras and they popularised it because they believed it helped relieve cold and fever. Since the British are used to thick soups, they added agents to the rasam to thicken it.
The dish is now offered in elite hotels.
Pattinam podi
A road at Korukkupet in Chennai was called Snuff Mill Road owing the presence of many a snuff powder manufacturers in the locality. The snuff powder ‘N.C. powder’ still being made in Chennai is considered special as ghee/vanaspati is added while grinding the tobacco.
Madras checks
A prominent feature in lungies, handkerchiefs and now even in sarees, the Madras Checks pattern is world-renowned and has been adapted into several garments and styles the world over.
Madras baashai
The dialect of Chennai — ‘Madras Baashai’ was borrowed liberally from other languages, including Telugu, Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, among others.
Madras terrace
Madrasis had evolved a way of cooling down themselves and their homes, through a roofing technique called the ‘Madras Terrace’.
Believed to have been around since the 18th Century, the technique involves the use of wooden beams, generally teak, across the two opposite walls requiring a roof, with each beam placed about 18 to 24 inches apart.
Madras Curry Powder
Long before Indian companies ventured out to foreign shores, one Indian brand was already truly a global brand. It ruled the global curry powder and pickles industry for close to 100 years. The brand, Vencatachellum Madras Curry Powder, is owned by a company founded by an Adi Dravidar, a scheduled caste, from Madras.
The brand name was synonymous with Madras Curry Powder the world over and continues to be fondly remembered in many countries including the UK and Australia long after its heyday.
Gana
Gana music, which remained endemic to north Madras, became popular across the Tamil-speaking world with their effective deployment in film music by composer Deva since the 1990s.
