Chettinad, literally, is the land of the Chettiars. Tucked away deep down south in Tamil Nadu, is the homeland of the Chettiars. You would know them as the prosperous banking and business community that ventured far from their villages to fuel trade and finance in the countries that they settled in – Malaysia, Singapore, Ceylon, Burma, Mauritius, Indochina and South Africa, to name a few.

From these lands they shipped their wealth to the families they had left behind and on the arid plains of Chettinad rose palatial mansions embellished with Burmese teak and Italian marble.

Back home in Chettinad, their cuisine was wonderfully enhanced by spices that the men sent from South East Asia. The Southeast Asian spices blended with the flavours of homegrown mainstays like peppercorn, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, green and red chilies, etc. to create the Chettinad cuisine, described as one of the most aromatic in India.

Spices are serious business in Chettinad and no self respecting Chettinad cook settles for anything other than freshly blended dry or wet combinations of spices, herbs and nuts. Anjappar Chettinad Restaurant is bringing you some of the most famous dishes to emerge from the kitchens of Chettinad, with the same meticulous care as would be employed by the Chettinad matriarch, the aachi, the commander in chief of homes and naturally, the Chettinad kitchens that could once feed 800-1000 people at a time.

Chettinad food is aromatic and spicy, but you need not worry about its setting your palate on fire. Chettinad cuisine is spicy, but the spiciness is less from green chillies or red chillies as it uses pepper, ginger and cumin that actually aid digestion and comfort the throat.