Cuisine of Kerala
Kerala cuisine offers a combination of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared using fish. Kerala is known as the "Land of Spices", so Chillies, curry leaves, coconut, mustard seeds; turmeric, tamarind and asafoetida are all frequently used in cooking.
Vegetarian traditional food of Kerala revolves around an abundance of coconut, rice, tapioca and spices like black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and ginger.
Kerala famous food also features a variety of seafood like fish, prawns, mussels, lobsters, and crabs owing to the state's long coastline.
There is no single national food of Kerala. You must try one of the national foods of Kerala that is spicy chicken fry or Kerala style prawn curry.
Served with onion, spices, garlic, and vinegar on a banana leaf, Nadan Kozhi Varuthathu is fried chicken made with a generous amount of spices.
Kerala also has a variety of breakfast dishes like idli, dosa, appam, idiyappam, puttu, and pathiri.
Sadya is a feast of Kerala origin and of importance to all Malayalis, consisting of a variety of traditional vegetarian dishes usually served on a banana leaf in Kerala as lunch. It’s is basically a Hindu Cuisine.
Sadya means banquet in Malayalam. Sadya is typically served as a traditional dish for Onam, the state festival of Kerala.
A favourite dish of Kerala Christians is "mappas", or chicken stew. For this dish, chicken, potatoes and onions are simmered gently in a creamy white sauce flavoured with black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green chillies, lime juice, shallots and coconut milk.
“Ada Pradhaman” is the king of Kerala's sweet. There is no feast complete without this dish. Pradhaman is Kerala's version of payasam/kheer.
Some other famous sweet dishes of Kerala are:
- Banana Halwa
- Unniyappam
- Elaneer pudding