Tirunelveli IRUTU KADAI Halwa
· Tirunelveli or Nellai (as called in Tamil) is a town that is
situated near to Kanyakumari/Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.
·
This place is very famous for its Halwa – The jelly like sweet
made out of wheat and ghee that almost melts in your mouth! In fact, Tirunelveli
Halwa has become a brand in itself! It is easily one of the best sweets I have
tasted so far.
·
People here say that the halwa recipe is more than hundred years
old.
·
Some say that the halwa recipe has come to the South from North
India. In fact, the owner of a hugely popular stall called ‘Iruttu
kadai'(Literally meaning dark shop) is a North Indian, perhaps settled here.
·
It is also said that the halwa gets its special taste because of
the water that is used to prepare the same is taken from Tamaraibharani river
which runs in the place.
·
Iruttu Kadai is the most popular shop in Tirunelveli for Halwa.
·
The opens only at 5:30 PM in the evening and remains open for a
hour and a half or till all the halwa is sold out. We were lucky to get half a
Kg of halwa when we went there at 7:30 PM when the shop was almost closed and
only one door was open (see picture above).
·
It seems that earlier, there were no lights in this shop and in
the evenings they used a candle to run the business, and hence the name.
·
Now there is an electrical bulb in the front of the store. It
seems that the halwa bought from Iruttu Kadai doesn’t get spoilt even for 2-3
weeks.
·
In fact, the people say that the halwa tastes better after a
week! And yeah, there is not even a name board for this shop – If you see a
bright flashy board in a shop called “Iruttu Kadai” you can be sure that it is
not what it claims!
- In this article it is said the use of Tamirabarani water is the reason for the taste of Halwa.It is not true and certainly illogical since the same halwa can be produced anywhere, by using any good quality potable water.
- The specific recipe practiced in this region brings the taste.
·
wow
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