Recipes from Coromandel coast: Bilingual book Seasoned by The Sea also documents the region’s culture and ecology

Discover the vibrant culture and unique recipes of the Coromandel coast in "Seasoned by the Sea" by Bhagath Singh and R Niranjana.

A Bhagath Singh’s mother, Kalavathi, would always eye the head of the biggest fish in Ennore’s Thazhankuppam market. “These fish would weigh up to five kilograms,” says the Puducherry-based independent researcher. Once she secured the head, she would go home and cook it whole in a fiery kulambu.

Bhagath’s memories of his late mother and her love for cooking seafood, forms the opening chapter of the recently-released bilingual book, Seasoned by the Sea (Neithal Kaimanam), published by Uyir Publications. The book, a compilation of recipes from across the Coromandel coast, has photos by independent photographer M Palanikumar. It is the result of a series of interviews and research by Bhagath and geographer R Niranjana between 2021 and 2023.

Bhagath and Niranjana have curated 43 recipes with a focus on Ennore and Pazhaverkadu (Pulicat), apart from Kasimedu, Besant Nagar, Pattinapakkam, and Puducherry. Bhagath, a native of Ennore, is a post-doctoral researcher with the French Institute of Pondicherry while Niranjana teaches Geography at Queen Mary University of London. Niranjana, a former journalist, was in Ennore in 2021 for a research project. During her many interactions with fisherwomen and fish sellers at the Thazhankuppam market, she realised how readily they shared recipes.

“At one point, I thought, why not put these together as a book,” she says.

Along with Bhagath, she set out to convince these women to demonstrate their recipes. It is not easy to get a fisherwoman to indulge in a leisurely conversation when she is at work, let alone get her to take one to her kitchen from the market. “She is either busy or exhausted,” says Bhagath. Niranjana though, kept at it, despite their unpredictable schedules.

Once at home, the women were at ease, talking about their everyday lives and family as they chopped onions and sliced fish. It is these stories that form the backbone of the book. Interestingly, the chapters are named after the women who shared the recipes: Madhavi from Kattukuppam, Lakshmi and Saroja from Annai Sivagami Nagar, Uma from Odaimanagar… Palanikumar’s photos not only capture the vibrancy and variety of the food, but also the warmth of the women behind them.

Through the recipes, the authors help readers get a glimpse into the culture and ecology of the Coromandel coast. Mekala, for instance, while she shares madavai recipes, talks about how her husband Desingu would catch fish using a small purse net in the river; Sangeetha shares stories about her life after she married a fisherman from Ennore, even as she shares her kavalan meen kulambu recipe; Saanthi and Sokkammal from Thoniravu village, resettled from Sriharikota, talk about working and living through the struggle of being displaced, as they prepare prawn urundai kulambu.