The Quest for Jil Jil Jigarthanda

Being one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities, Madurai is ‘the’ place to embark on a food

adventure. From its melt-in-the-mouth Kari(Mutton) Dosa, the special Rabbit Biryani, the

evergreen Kothu Parotta and even the soft heavenly idlis at Murugan Idli Shop - pick anything

and you are in for a glorious food affair. But if you have to end the meal with an OTT sweet

dessert, Jigarthanda is the one.

What Kormas & Kebabs are to Lucknow, Jigarthanda is to Madurai.

Nobody is sure if this drink originated from the Mughal kitchen or the Muslims in Madurai introduced it themselves, but it

proved to be a boon for the people by being the perfect refreshing and cooling drink during the Indian Summer. No wonder the name of the drink literally translates to ‘heart cooler’ (‘Jigar‘ means ‘Heart’ in Hindi, while ‘Thanda‘ means ‘Cool’).

Since 1977, P.S. Sheik Meeran started selling Jigarthanda in a pushcart and today, his 4 sons have taken the family business to new heights with a chain of ‘Famous Jigarthanda’ shops across Tamil Nadu. Made with chilled milk, the natural body cooler Badam Pisin (almond gum) or even kadal paasi (china grass), sarsaparilla (nannari) root syrup, lots of sugar and some cream/basundi. So basically, you mix everything, top it off with some ice cream and relish it.

After my visit to the historic Meenakshi temple, I dashed to one of the oldest outlets of Famous Jigarthanda, located on the busy East Marret street, not too far from the temple. The place even at 12 pm on a weekday, was buzzing like a beehive! The person over the counter mentioned the crowd is never-ending there. I got my full glass of Jigarthanda with a scoop of ice cream topped with nannari syrup and basundi, which is a special touch to their version of the drink. It is a lovely malt colored drink rich in flavor, with tender pisin bits in it, which goes very well with their special in-house vanilla ice cream and basundi. I had to find a place to sit somewhere nearby to enjoy this wonder in a glass.

Jigarthanda is not as illustrious and acclaimed as its Northern cousin, the Falooda, a felicitous

coupling of silky vermicelli noodles with ice cream and /or crushed ice, black basil seeds

(Subja), all of which are steeped in a colorful bath of rose and khus syrup, with nuts sprinkled

over - combines to form a thick shake which even being a drink, it has to be ‘eaten’. Falooda

manages to engage the palate on many levels simultaneously. Unlike for Jigarthanda, it is more of a single-dimensional sherbet with hints of its flavourful additives, a bite of its crunchy bits here and there, unless you opt for varieties of it with tutti-frutti, nuts, and flavors like mango, chocolate, and strawberry.

Given the utterly humid climate and the spicy meat preparations that Madurai has to offer,

Jigarthanda really is the ultimate source to get the required proteins to beat the heat. My soul is content with the mere thought of not having missed out on the important things in life.