Flavors between empires
Lamuri was a real kingdom — a port on the coast of Sumatra that once welcomed ships from Tamil Nadu, carrying spices, rituals, and stories across the same sea. It appears in an old Tamil inscription, in Chinese trade records, and in Arab travellers’ notes.
Then it disappeared…
If you look closely, the connections reveal themselves in every bite: coconut milk, tamarind, curry leaves, the gentle rhythm of a dosa sizzling on a pan. For a thousand years, South India and Indonesia have exchanged more than goods. We did not create these overlaps; we simply traced them back to where they began.
We explored firsthand — visiting Chettinad, Pondicherry, Chennai, Coimbatore, Kerala, and Sri Lanka. We navigated local markets, dined in mess halls served on banana leaves, and traced the spice route from Maharashtra to Sri Lanka. At Grandma Puspa’s home, we ground masala by hand and spent more time listening than cooking.
Lamuri resurfaces in Bali, a quiet remembering of a history that always existed, though rarely acknowledged. The reflection goes deeper than it first appears.