Flavours of India are well known across the globe. But, within India- மா மதுரை, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu is known for its own unique food culture. Either it’s a feast inside a king’s palace or lunch in the countryside, the Sangam Literature offers abundant references to food during Sangam era through various poems and stories. Well, we are talking about a period that’s over 2000 years and it’s impossible to peek into the kitchens of those times. But the pages of the vast Sangam literature may take you back in time to understand what ancient Tamil food was like. The celebrated poet Avvaiyar describes about a hearty lunch for a hot sunny day in her ‘Thani padal thirattu’– an anthology of poems – the 32nd song which goes like this: ‘Varagu arisi chorum, vazhuthunangai vaatum, moramoravena pulitha morum…’ (Steamed varagu rice, smoked and mashed aubergine and tangy frothy buttermilk)