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Kerala Foods
The Kerala is known as the "land of Spices". Even the Kerala cuisine is known for its spicy and hot foods. Traditionally, in Kerala food is served on a banana leaf. One has to take food with right hand. Almost every dish prepared in Kerala has coconut and spices to flavour the local cuisine giving it a sharp pungency that is heightened with the use of tamarind, while coconut gives it its richness, absorbing some of the tongue-teasing, pepper-hot flavours.
Kerala cuisine is a combination of Vegetables, meats and seafood flavoured with a variety of spices. Seafood's are main diet of Coastal Kerala. Whereas Vegetable is the main diet in plains of Kerala and Meat is the main course among tribal and northern Kerala.
Sadya - Kerala feast Some of the delicious are: -
The typical Kerala feast served on a banana leaf, is a sumptuous spread of rice and more than 14 vegetable dishes, topped with `payasam', the delicious sweet dessert cooked in milk.
Rice :While Plain Steamed rice is usually taken with dishes in Sadya (Vegetarian), it is the basic ingredient. Biryanis (in Non vegetarian meals of the Arabic tradition).
Avil :Combination of vegetables like pumpkin, drumstick, potato, chilly etc and coconut sauce, it is a very popular side dish. Even mango, jackfruit and cashew nuts are included in Avil.
Thoren :Vegetables like Cabbage, Coconut, and Green chilly and mustard seed are either fried or steamed with spices like turmeric. Sometimes green papaya is used.
Sambar :It is made out of drumstick, tomato, potato, onion etc mixed with turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander seeds and many more spices.
Olen :Beans and gourds mixed with several spices like chilly powder.
Kaalen :Made using Banana and curd mixed with coconut paste and green chilly.
Rasam :Rasam is a best for digestion. It is similar to a clear broth; Rasam may be flavoured tamarind, lemon, tomato, lentils and/or pepper.
Pachadi :Main ingredients are Pumpkin, Coconut milk and curd with green chilly. A pleasing finish to the meal.
Paayasam :Sugared rice or noodles, served as a sweet.
Snacks :Popular snacks include banana chips, yam crisps, Tapioca chips deep-fried with chilly powder.
Sweets :There's no shortage of sweets in Kerala. Jaggery is often used as a sweetener. It can be boiled and made into paste form. It can be used as a sweet sauce with curd or fruit. Milk rice, coconut rice, or vermicelli sweetened with jaggery is common dessert.
Aappam :Aappam is a Kerala favourite and there are many varieties. For breakfast this pancake is usually made from a rice flour and toddy batter. It has a thick, spongy center and very fine lacy outer section. It's usually taken with spiced sauce, sometimes with fruit.
Puttu :Puttu is another popular breakfast dish. It is made from rice flour dough combined with shredded coconut steamed in a bamboo stick. It is served with banana or plain with sugar.
Idi-appam :di-appam is rice noodles usually served with coconut milk but they may also accompany meat dishes.
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