My friend prof. N c sekar gifted me with a kg of Iruttu Kauai halwa, a famous sweet native to tirunelveli. By Iruttu or night and Kadai or shop what is implied is the shop opens for retail after sunset and that too only for couple of hours. The recipe is a family secret and this is what makes the sweet very much sought after one. It is said in the sixties a pound of Iruttu Kadai halwa would fetch inestimable favors from powerful and influential. The shop in the tirunelveli town, is a store with hardly one and a half meter of storefront. In fact the shop itself has only conventional lighting and not brilliantly lit by CFls . The shop front by sunset would have attracted a long que of some dozens of people, the patrons. As soon as the commodity arrives crowd would start to rumble. The neatly covered large did vessel will be lifted and place inside the shop. Then after certain rituals, the electronic or digital balance is switched on. A piece is packed and the man in charge places it in the stand on which a framed picture of a goddess and a sick lamp is set up. By that time the politely and calmly the first man in the line will order his portion followed by next one in line. The beauty of the bussiness is that at some last comers will go empty handed. The size of the crowd does not make the shop owner to cook more of it. He goes by a fixed quantity only . But these days there is one more shop where the same sweet is sold. After a brisk sale for about an hour or little more the stock will be sold out. That is the story of Iruttu kada halwa….of course of tirunelveli..

19 Aug My friend prof. N c sekar gifted me with a kg of Iruttu Kauai halwa, a famous sweet native to tirunelveli. By Iruttu or night and Kadai or shop what is implied is the shop opens for retail after sunset and that too only for couple of hours. The recipe is a family secret and this is what makes the sweet very much sought after one. It is said in the sixties a pound of Iruttu Kadai halwa would fetch inestimable favors from powerful and influential. The shop in the tirunelveli town, is a store with hardly one and a half meter of storefront. In fact the shop itself has only conventional lighting and not brilliantly lit by CFls . The shop front by sunset would have attracted a long que of some dozens of people, the patrons. As soon as the commodity arrives crowd would start to rumble. The neatly covered large did vessel will be lifted and place inside the shop. Then after certain rituals, the electronic or digital balance is switched on. A piece is packed and the man in charge places it in the stand on which a framed picture of a goddess and a sick lamp is set up. By that time the politely and calmly the first man in the line will order his portion followed by next one in line. The beauty of the bussiness is that at some last comers will go empty handed. The size of the crowd does not make the shop owner to cook more of it. He goes by a fixed quantity only . But these days there is one more shop where the same sweet is sold. After a brisk sale for about an hour or little more the stock will be sold out. That is the story of Iruttu kada halwa….of course of tirunelveli..

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