Manapparai, a town located between Tiruchi and Dindigul, is well known across the country for its native cattle breed, Manapparai cattle. The region is also known for paddy cultivation, groundnut farming and horticultural crops. Now, its famous rice-flour murukku is gaining wider recognition, opening up new opportunities for the traditional snack-making industry.
An application for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag was filed in 2014, and Manapparai murukku received the recognition in 2023. The GI tag is expected to help expand the business, improve access to bank loans and encourage manufacturers to establish production units in industrial estates.
Passengers travelling by train, bus and car through Manapparai rarely miss the opportunity to buy the town’s popular crispy murukku. The snack is also relished by people in Tiruchi, Karur, Sivaganga, Madurai, Villupuram, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur and Perambalur districts, among others.
Although traditional snacks such as murukku, seedai and porivilangai urundai are made in several districts, Manapparai murukku stands out for its distinctive crispness and taste. Its unique flavour is attributed to the preparation method, in which rice flour sourced from Madurai is kneaded with Manapparai’s salty water and the dough is deep-fried in palmolein oil.
The business dates back to around 1920, when a person named Mani Iyer began preparing murukku by kneading rice flour with Manapparai’s salty water and frying it. What began as a small local enterprise has since attracted international attention.
A manufacturer, T. James, said he had been producing and selling murukku for the past 10 years. Initially, the snacks were prepared in homes and brought to market. The business had since expanded, with proper facilities set up along the bypass to ensure hygienic production, packaging and sales through three outlets.
“We use a machine procured from Madurai to ensure uniform taste and crispness, and fry the murukku in palmolein oil. Receiving the GI tag is a matter of great happiness,” he said.
