French influence lingers on this lovely little sea town along the Bay of Bengal. Bi-lingual street signs, right angled intersections, gothic churches, road along the sea and numerous French cafes, everything in Pondy looks and sounds French.
Pondnicherry, affectionately known as Pondy is no longer a destination for the independent traveller from Europe, interested in yoga and an off-beat place to relax in India.
It has recently seen an explosion of interest from the young Indians from the metros. Its unusual atmosphere combined with the spiritual calm of the Ashram and Auroville with the laissez-faire atmosphere of the old French tropical colony makes it a unique destination. Neatly divided in Tamil and French sections, the French half of the town is dotted with cafes built in gardens, French villas or heritage buildings with names beginning with le, la and les. Names may be similar but each has a different story behind it.Like most Indian tourists who want to see everything in two days, we too sampled food at a number of French cafés in 36 hours. Our first stop was Le Club. This garden restaurant set in an old French villa makes for a perfect evening. Famous among both Indians and foreigners, they claim themselves to be the first French restaurant in Pondy. Their six page long no-frills menu accommodates almost everything—salads, pastas, steak, seafood and desserts. All the names in the menu were in French along with their translation in English. This is common to all the cafes here.
A gastronomical delight, the town offers a myriad of dishes, each having a distinct flavour and cooking style. While some are poached, others are boiled. The most commonly used ingredients in French cuisine are Bouquet Garni and Herbs de Provence (a general guideline for an Herbs de Provence mix includes savoury, bay, rosemary, fennel, thyme, basil and lavender). But the French food in Pondy is far from the bland version. Dishes are often flavoured with garlic and bay leaf. For instance, the chicken in mustard sauce we ordered at Le Club had a strong after taste of garlic.
In this coastal town, a meal is not about the food, it is about the conversation, the music and the wines. So you will find people with just one dish on their tables enjoying their drinks over long conversation discussing books, spirituality and art.
What makes Pondicherry cuisine so special is the refined manner in which the dishes are set (French), while the ingredients and spices are local, Tamil. This hybrid of Indian and French food can be called Pondicherrian or Franco-Pondicherry cuisine.