We explored 1600s Chennai through food at this intimate supper club

Did you know tamarind and amla feature in recipes dating back to the early 17th century? Or that betel leaf, betel nut and lime have been found in archaeological excavations from the early centuries of the Tamil region? We discovered both over a meal at Madras on a Table, a Madras Day collaboration between The Sunday Supper Club and Madras Inherited.

Founded by Olivia Daniel, The Sunday Supper Club brought the food to the table, while Ashmitha Athreya of Madras Inherited guided us through the histories behind it. The August 22 edition focused on the circa-1600s, exploring the food of indigenous fisherfolk, weavers and merchants. The organisers used pre-1639 and post-1639 as broad historical markers, with the next edition on August 29 moving into the circa-1800s and the kitchens of settlers, colonisers, traders and migrants.

The Sunday Supper Club turns food history into an intimate dining experience

The supper club takes only 12 diners, making the experience wonderfully intimate. Olivia cooks everything herself, with her sister, pastry chef Ophelia Bharathi, contributing dessert. Over the afternoon, 12 strangers shared a table, traded stories and listened as Ashmitha unpacked the histories behind the food.

The menu was no small undertaking. Research went into 10 to 15 communities and 25 to 30 dishes before the final selection was shaped by recipes, feasibility, flavour balance and availability. What arrived felt like a condensed history lesson you could eat.

We began with Bone Broth with Pav, a hearty yet surprisingly light bowl. Tender meat clung to the bones, while the broth was deeply savoury. There was something wonderfully uninhibited about digging into the bones around a table of strangers. The pav brought Portuguese influence to the plate, while the bone broth represented the Tamil Dalit community.

The Madras Elixir combined tamarind, amla, chia and nannari sarbath, or Indian sarsaparilla sherbet. The ingredients connected the drink to the period being explored, with tamarind and amla appearing in recipes from the early 17th century.

Next came fermented rice with meen kulambu, or fish curry, karuvadu, or dried fish, vadiyalu, or sun-dried fryums, mor milagai, or sun-dried chillies, and mango pickle. Representing the broader indigenous Tamil community, the earthy, mild rice made a comforting base for the sharper accompaniments. Our favourite was the maavadu, a whole baby mango pickle that delivered an intense burst of sour, salty and spicy flavour.

Dessert brought Armenian gata with aval and pori, or flattened and puffed rice, in banana and dates milk. Made by Ophelia, the gata was buttery, flaky and gently sweet, with the rice adding a distinctly local touch.

The optional betel leaf, paaku and sunnambu was offered as a digestif. Ashmitha explained that betel leaf, betel nut and lime have a history stretching back to the early centuries of the Tamil region, with evidence found through archaeological excavations.

Madras on a Table continues on August 29, when The Sunday Supper Club and Madras Inherited turn to the circa-1800s.

INR 1,500 per person. August 29, 1 pm onwards. At T Nagar, with the venue shared upon RSVP via @thesunday_supperclub on Instagram.

Email: anoushkakundu@newindianexpress.com

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.