Madurai
Commonly known as ‘Kadalaimittai’, the edible commodity is made with natural ingredients of groundnut, jaggery and cardamom. In Kovilpatti, it is prepared in many shops and best renowned for its quality, taste and flavour.
Culinarily, Kovilpatti is synonymous with peanut candy, which originated from this town dating back generations. Though it was a preferred commodity of many generations, peanut candy is yet to attain the elite status of GI, peanut candy makers feel.
According to K Kartheeswaran, president, Kovilpatti Peanut Candy Makers Association, the producers of this product were aware of the GI status only in 2015 when former Kovilpatti Sub CollectorK Vijaya Karthikeyan mooted this idea.
The producers had been making strenuous efforts to acclaim the status for this product of Kovilpatti fame after approaching officials in GI Registration office at Guindy in Chennai.
However, the officials wanted the producers to authenticate whether it was a product of traditional existence and funds to the tune of Rs 4 lakh were required to set up quality testing laboratory as opined by stakeholders, who are getting technical advice from officials concerned. It was S S Ponnambala Nadar, who introduced ‘Kadalaimittai’, over 65 years ago. Earlier, the peanut candy making started with a few companies and it has grown to almost hundred such companies of late, Kartheeswaran recalled.
Though edible item was prepared in cut pieces and in square packs, cut pieces in packs weighing 200 grams and 250 grams had become the choice of many consumers.
“Whoever comes to Kovilpatti, will never miss buying peanut candy. More importantly, peanut candy also finds its place in wedding meals mostly as such practice is maintained traditionally,” the president told DT NEXT on Sunday. Apart from catering to the needs of domestic consumers, this product is also being exported to Dubai, the USA and European countries, he said.
As for K Kannan, Secretary of the Association, Kovilpatti, collecting evidence to prove that peanut candy got its own traditional value as expected by officials remains the only bottleneck. Though peanut candy came into existence in 1920, no producer of this product was aware of maintaining such documents.
Many producers had almost approached the GI Registration office, Guindy on six occasions to achieve the prestigious status. While edible commodity of Thoothukudi fame ‘Macaroon’ had already earned GI status, the nutrition rich ‘peanut candy’ should also be awarded similar status.
On reasons why Kovilpatti peanut candy became famous, he said it was due to the groundnuts cultivated from Aruppukottai, Kazhugumalai and Sathankulam and water and jaggery from Salem that gave taste and aroma. The product got its shelf life and once the GI tag was awarded, misbranding of ‘Kovilpatti Kadalaimittai’ with substandard quality by some could be avoided in market. Much to the delight, the prestigious status would help boost export trade of this commodity. ‘Around 5,000 families benefit directly and 10,000 families indirectly from peanut candy making’, Kannan said.
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