The Pondicherry Kitchen  (English, Paperback, Tirouvanziam-Louis Lourdes)

The Pondicherry Kitchen by Lourdes Tirouvanziam-Louis is an insight into the array of delectable flavours that go into the multifaceted cuisine of the coastal Pondicherry.

Summary Of The Book

The Pondicherry Kitchen takes a look at the cuisine of Pondicherry, the famous coastal town. Pondicherry cuisine is an amalgamation of different cultures and influences. This is reflected in its food choices and recipes as well. The author attempts to showcase the diversity and beauty of Pondicherry cuisine in this book.

The Pondicherry Kitchen was published in French and is a collection of culinary treasures and old recipes from across Pondicherry. The author collected these for numerous years before compiling them in this book. There are many chapters in the cookbook which are based on base ingredients like Chicken, Egg, Rice, Lamb, Turkey and Seafood. Other categories deal with include Rasam, Sweetmeats & Cakes and Snacks. Most recipes do not use coconut extensively, quite unlike Tamil cuisine. Alongside, they are divided into both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

The Pondicherry Kitchen contains a variety of handy recipes such as Chow Chow Sauce Planche (Chow Chow Sauce Blanche), Athu Kary Roll (Lamb Papillote), Vadavam Tovayal, Erral Urundaiy Curry (Curry de Boulettes de Crevettes), Maraval Kujangu Cake (Tapioca Cake), Takaali Pajam Chutney (Tomato Chutney), Pachaiy Patani Curry (Mouton aux Petits Pois) and Ragou (Ragout). The Recipe Index is extremely helpful in the book and contains listings of all chapters with their particular recipes and page numbers. There are little introductions to each recipe and every recipe possesses commonly used ingredients. The book kicks off with the Spices and Condiments chapter where masalas are detailed.

The Pondicherry Kitchen is a unique and eclectic mixture of Moghul, Portuguese, Indian, Malaysian and French culinary influences. Lourdes Tirouvanziam-Louis has also peppered the book with delightful anecdotes and stories that take readers straight into Pondicherry’s cultural milieu down the ages. The cookbook is user friendly and the recipes are easy to follow and recreate. She has collected unknown culinary secrets for her recipes including orally transmitted folklore.

About Lourdes Tirouvanziam-Louis

Lourdes Tirouvanziam Louis is a cookbook author, teacher and award winner. She is known for collecting unknown recipes from various places and making them popular once again. Lourdes Tirouvanziam-Louis has dual Master's in English and French. She also has a sociolinguistics PhD under her belt. She has been a teacher at Pondicherry’s Lycee Francais. She has been honored with the noted distinction Chevalier des Palmes Academiques from the French government. She has two children who live abroad. She lives in Pondicherry with her husband Dr. Bernard A. Louis.