Danish cakes and cookies can be served with tea. Wienerbrod (Danish pastry) is difficult to bake, however Danish cookies can be bought in India in tins (beware of the numerous poor-value imitations imported from Indochina).

Pickled flying fish can be prepared and served in the way of Danish pickled herrings (a very wide range of herring pickles is used in Denmark often with typical Indian spices and curries). Typical side dishes are pickled sliced cucumber (agurkesalat) and pickled sliced beetroot (syltede rodbeder).

Hotel bars should serve Danish beer and Danish snaps/braendevin (a number of labels and varieties) as well as the best known Danish bitter, Gammel Dansk.

Drinks should of course be served at the Tranque Bar

It should be noted that a photographic reprint of the oldest Danish cookbook, from the time of the founding of Tranquebar, is available from the Danish publisher Wormianum, i.e. Danmarks Aeldste Kogebog, Copenhagen 1616 - 80 pp. in Gothic type, last print in 2002, price 75 Danish Kroner.

16.       TRAFFIC

Findings

Vehicle traffic within Old Tranquebar town is very limited, leaving the town free from smog and traffic noise. The Town Gate prevents the entry of large busses, but allows mini-busses.

Daily, usually during late afternoon, a number of Tamil visitors will come to Tranquebar to enjoy the sea breeze and watch the sea, while greater numbers will come on Fridays (when the Fort is closed for no obvious reason). The beach and Parade Ground may be crowded during holidays, such as the last day of Pongal (see photo page 20).

Bicycles, scooters and motorcycles are mainly parked at the end of King’s Road, while cars and minibuses park at the far end of the Parade Ground along the beach. During major festive days parking will fill a large part of the beach side of the Parade Ground.

Recommendations

Vehicular traffic in Tranquebar should not be banned, but controlled. Notably, King’s Road should not be transformed into a cement-concrete road. Surfacing should be improved, and speed bumps installed, to ensure a slow-down of traffic. The only entrance to the Old Town should still be through the Town Gate so as to prevent the entry of large busses and lorries.