What's in this pettikadai? 

CHENNAI: Ghee-laden mysore pak from Pallapatti, chewy macarons from Tuticorin, spongy milk cake from Kumbakonam, crispy banana chips from Nagercoil, crunchy kara sev from Sattur... If we were to map the regional delicacies of Tamil Nadu, you’d know that it’s often the iruttu kadai halwa from Tirunelveli, puliyamarathadi palkova from Srivilliputhur or kadalai mittai from Kovilpatti that hog the limelight. But, there’s more to that than meets our eye...or should we say stomach.

Determined to promote and pass on some of the underrated gems to the urban market, Pettikadai — a dedicated online marketspace — brings them all in one place and delivers to your doorstep. A property of South2Globe Products, Pettikadai is headquartered in Tirunelveli that boasts a newly launched standalone store in OMR Food Street, Navalur.

A mouthful of memories
Walking down the memory lane, Venkatesh, the co-founder, recollects how it all started. “We’re a team of four friends from college. We’re hardcore foodies. We wouldn’t spare an eatery from the smallest of roadside pettikadai to hole-in-the-wall restaurants. We went to an engineering college in Kovilpatti, which is 60 km from Tirunelveli. So whenever we longed for halwa, we would take a bus and ensure we satiated our craving. We do not want youngsters of these days to miss out on such simple pleasures. Now you know where the shop got its name from.”

Boasting a loyal clientele from Hyderabad to Australia, Venkatesh shares that there’s been a significant spike in demand for the products. “We’ve been shipping to Qatar, UK, US and African countries regularly. Locally, people from north India buy from us. The awareness of these delicacies has shot up immensely, even among youngsters. Given that there are plenty of other distractions like your desserts and baked goodies, it’s nice to see kids going back to the roots. Even multinational corporations are reaching out to us for gifting options. We ensure the packaging is given utmost priority so that it retains the flavour and freshness for up to 120 days,” assures Venkatesh.

While it’s staples such as halwa, palkova, sev and murukku that are all-time favourites, people have been open to experimenting, observes Venkatesh. “We don’t have to convince them. They taste and come back to us themselves. The only challenge we’ve had is with roping in multi-generational families who’ve been making these sweets and savouries in rural parts of the state. If you browse our webpage, you’ll find popular players like Puliyamarathin shop, Gnanam and Ganesh bakeries, Shanmugaraju Mittai Kadai and Velayutha Nadar Mittai Kadai. These people trust us with our products and are now convinced that this is the best way forward with reaching their customers scattered across the globe,” he elaborates.

Promising plans
The shop currently houses sweet varieties, including muscoth halwa, adhirasam, ginger candy, laddu, manoharam, cashew clusters, ghee kuchi mittai and seeni mittai. Savoury variants like mixture, chips, serval, thattai, pakoda, seedai, fried peanuts and boondi are also available. “Our page offers fun trivia about these sweets and savouries. For instance, macaron is an egg-based delicacy, baked with cashews and sugar. It was originally introduced by the Portuguese and stayed on to become famous in Tuticorin. Pallapati mysore pak broadly comes in two varieties — the wet, ghee-infused, fudgy versions that have come to dominate cities today, and the powdery, porous blocks that small stores and restaurants sell from glass jars. There are so many stories like these that need to be told,” says Venkatesh.

Besides their regulars, the shop has introduced palm-jaggery-based products. He promises that they will be collaborating with organic farmers and bringing the best of vegetables and fruits. Venkatesh and team are believers of conscious buying and selling. A per cent of their profit goes towards charity. To support artisans and their livelihoods, they’ve also collaborated with clusters from Kanniyakumari and Palaverkadu who weave packaging boxes made out of palm leaves for them.

It’s been a dream for Venkatesh and his team to preserve these forgotten delicacies as well as the culture of pettikadai. “It’s disappointing to see many pettikadais shut shop in recent times, particularly after the pandemic.  Pettikadais are an emotion and a representation of old-world charm. If we, as loyal patrons, don’t step up for them, then who else will? We need to support these local businesses by buying from them. It’s high time we all gave it a thought,” requests Venkatesh.

Delivery available worldwide. Visit: Pettikadai.in or call: 7904897326