The tase of fusion in Puducherry

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese established a factory in Puducherry but a century later, they were compelled to leave the city by the ruler of Gingee who found them unfriendly. After that, the Danes set up an establishment and likewise the Dutch. While the latter set up trading posts in Porto Novo and Cuddalore, the French who had trading centers in north, Mahe and Madras were invited to open a trading Centre in Pondicherry by the new ruler of Gingee to compete with the Dutch. The French came, conquered and settled to make Puducherry one of the finest trading towns. The French chased away the Dutch and  British, to rule the union territory. The French influence lingers on till date in their culture.  

Puducherry is known for its food  which has acquired the flavours of all invading countries and the strongest link or fusion was the Indo-Franco food. The Indo Franco food is part of the menu of popular restaurants. The French have an ancient culinary tradition that married with local cuisines to create what one calls a ‘mosaic of culinary integration’. Among many options, I chose to share the recipe of the erachi urandai curry, as this is one of the most popular Indo Franco dishes and the recipe is a legacy from the 17th century.