Kerala – What’s cooking?
The first thing you’d notice about the food in Kerala is how the flavours seem to jump off your palate. Little surprise considering this is the land of spices with hints of fresh pepper, cardamom, tamarind, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla in the dish, possibly coming from a little plantation in the backyard.
The traditional banquet of Sadya is a good way to sample many of the foods of Kerala. Usually served as lunch on a plantain leaf, it consists of par boiled pink rice served with a host of (usually vegetarian) side dishes. A multi-course meal, it starts with Parippu (small gram and ghee) , Sambhar (a South Indian vegetable stew of drumsticks and seasonal vegetables boiled in a gravy of lentils, onions, chillies, coriander and turmeric and a pinch of asafoetida), and Avial (a blend of vegetables, coconut paste and green chillies, seasoned with fresh coconut oil and raw curry leaves stirred in immediately after the dish is taken off the stove). To munch along with your meal are Upperi ( fried banana chips), Pappadam ( flour wafers), ginger pickles and mango pickles. If this isn’t enough there are deserts served all across your meal including payasam (thick fluid dish of sweet brown molasses, coconut milk and spices, garnished with cashew nuts and raisins.). Of course since this is a multicourse meal, your hosts will repeat step one of the rice, replacing the Sambhar in round one with Rasam ( a mixture of chilly and pepper powder boiled in diluted tamarind juice) , and with sour buttermilk in round three. These guys really take their food seriously!
Along the coast, as you’d expect, are some delicious fish curries, including the Alleppey fish curry, Kappa & Meen Mulakittathu (tapioca and fish) , Seer Fish soup and Meen Muringakka Curry(fish with drumsticks). The signature flavours are from the heavy coconut flavour and the right spices and seasoning. The mutton and chicken lovers will find their stomachs satiated with a multitude of chicken, mutton and duck stews served piping hot with fresh appams ( pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk).
All of this food should of course whet your appetite for another fun activity – shopping! Of course, packing your bags with all the spices you can find is a no brainer – there are few places on earth where you will get this range of spices at these prices! There also many locally made souvenirs that will remind you of Kerala. The brightly painted Kathakali models will of course remind you of the stories that you witnessed as you watched the Kathakali dancers live in action. There are also beautiful handmade wooden handicrafts that depict the stories from everyday life in Kerala be it a herd of Elephants in line, or stories woven into coir mats or scale models of the famous snakeboat races. There are also exquisite brass and bronze items from the famous Nilavilakku ( brass lamps) to more every day use items like bronze vessels. Dont forget to also stock up on Sandalwood and Sandalwood Oil -they’re great for your skin!- and some cashew nuts to share back with friends and family when you return back home.
(Of course there is the small matter of first booking yourself onto our trip here! See you soon!)
