Food Trail

Overview

Madurai is seriously ancient. Its recorded history goes back as far as the 3rd century BC. And from then to now, it seems to have been populated by gourmands. There are written recipes dating back to that time, which are followed to date.

In a city that takes its food so seriously, exploring local food is a great starting point for getting acquainted with the city. Madurai street food makes for a perfect backdrop for stories of the city and its people.

Why you will love it

• Discover the secrets of Madurai’s delight in food and why owners of food business are always personally involved
• Learn why the sound of pestle and mortar is accompanied by aromatic scents in a local eatery in the early morning
• Why are fingers more fun to eat with than forks and spoonsDiscover what are poppy seeds doing in a popular South Indian sweet?

What you will experience

Madurai has a lively food scene and a recorded history that spans two millennia. Join us on the food trail and eat your way through some of that history. Most food businesses began on roadsides so its little wonder the owners are deeply involved hands-on in their running years later. As we travel the Madurai food trail every mouthful of its street food will earn you a slew of anecdotes and stories revealing many aspects of its people, its culture and way of life. We will visit many local hot spots on the tour sampling the best snacks and beverages and local indulgences to get a head start on the delights of Madurai’s main course culinary offerings. From soups to idlis and curry leaf omelettes to liver fry and mutton curry to uttapams, porottas and fragrant biryanis, their aromatic presence is evident whenever you pass the eateries which open up very early to cater to many sittings through the day of hungry folk. And all washed down with a thin post-meal buttermilk Madurai-style. Meals are traditionally served on banana leaves at a Madurai eating house and when done with closed and disposed of… very eco-friendly and back to nature eating culture experience for sure.