Malayalees Kitchen-Taste of Kerala!

Kerala is considered to have many legendary and historical evidence about its sources. Even the oldest written documents date back to the 2nd and 4th centuries BC. The strategic position on India's southern coast, nestled very close to the Malabar Coast has drawn many visitors to Kerala. One such adventurer whose memory is of Vasco Da Gama in the cosy Fort Kochi district of Kerala.

In Malayalam, the local language of Kerala, the very act of preparation of cooking of a meal is known as pachakam. The food products have a distinct spice smell and the coconut of course. And the Spices play a key role in Keralite cooking. Including small onions or shallots, red chillies and red chilli powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, garlic, coriander and cumin make their food sweet, tangy and lip-smacking.Sea food is a staple diet, along with beef, pork, poultry and mutton in the non-vegetarian sections. Karimeen or the pearl spotted fish is a rare and expensive fish here. It's delicious and tastes fantastic as a fry or a curry form. Seer fish, nanga, cuttlefish, kingfish etc are other popular favourites here.

 

Seafood is the staple diet of the non-vegetarian areas, along with beef, pork, poultry and mutton. Karimeen or the spotted pearlfish is a very rare and costly species here. It's delicious and tastes great as a type of fry or curry. Other common favourites here are seer fish, nanga, cuttlefish, kingfish etc. Rice, coconut and curry leaves are omnipresent in almost any Keralite dish. The unpolished rice is the rice eaten in typical Keralite households. This is also safer, as it maintains the initial fibres.

There is a common drink for all and genuinely outsiders will grow a taste for the same thing. It's Toddy – a blended coconut cocktail that brings justice to a meal of tapioca and curry shrimp. Another common beverage is the highly intoxicating Arrack, which typically had spicy pickles and boiled eggs in it. Kanji (rice congee) and payaru (moong bean) are also popular drinks.

 

Mappila food is particularly popular for biryanis, as it's called. Mappila community's Arab-influenced cuisine serves some of Kerala's most flavourful dishes. The highlight is the use of fragrant spices, particularly pepper, cardamom, and cloves. A must-have is the Mappila biriyani, and so are the stacked parottas that go wonderfully with chicken curries. Muttamaala (egg garland), kadukkanira chathu (stuffed moulds), and kozhinira chathu (stuffed chicken) are excellent dishes.

Kerala is a confluence of the community of Christians, Hindu and Muslims that even leaves it in the kitchens. The Portuguese, Dutch and European influences also have left an indelible mark on Keralite cuisine. It's so rich and distinct from the rest of India that, even after you've come back from your tour, the tantalizing flavours will keep you craving. You may say it was the intoxicating fragrance of spices that attracted traders to Kerala a long time ago. The same hefty flavours make the cuisine a precious excuse enough to fly to this part of India today. Therefore, expect a liberal use of coconut, chilli and spices in local mouth-tingling recipes that vary from place to city.