Contemplating the true aspects of kerala culture, its cuisine has also been influenced by numerous its unique tradition. Kerala cuisine encompasses a stimulating combination of vegetables, meats and seafood flavored with a variety of spices and almost always cooked in coconut milk. Spices are used in Kerala to tone up the system and act as an aid to the digestion.
The marvelous Kerala cuisine is simple yet palate tickling and distinctive. In general the cuisine is mildly flavored and gently cooked. Rice is the staple diet, fresh seafood, fragrant spices, coconuts; all are part of scrumptious curries. The pure vegetarian curries are gastronomical delights. Kerala cuisine is renowned for its unique spicy formulations and it's breakfast is adjudged as the 'best breakfast of the world'. A favorite breakfast dish is Puttu. Rice flour dough is layered with grated coconut and steamed in hollow bamboo cylinder.
Kerala has a well-developed vegetarian cuisine. You could try out the typical lunch served on a clean banana leaf, which is hygienic and easy to dispose. Kerala cuisine equally excel in non-vegetarian cuisine like `pathiri' and kozhi curry(chicken), biriyani and fish dishes. There are many restaurants serving sea-food - prawn curry in coconut gravy is exceptionally good. Curries are eaten usually with plain steamed rice.
Some of the popular food recipes of Kerala include:
The Tangy Rasam
The hot Rasam, served after a delectable array of sweets, is a tangy deviation from the symphony of tastes and is poured on another serving of rice. The famous British 'Mulligatawny Soup' is said to have derived its flavour from Rasam.
Rasam is a mixture of chilly and pepper corns powders boiled in diluted tamarind juice. The pulissery is seasoned buttermilk with turmeric powder and green chillies. 'Moru' or plain sour buttermilk comes salted and with chopped green chillies and ginger.
Appam
Appam is the soft pancake made from toddy fermented rice batter, with a soft spongy middle, which is laced with crispy edges. It is generally consumed with either vegetable or chicken or mutton stew, thoroughly mellowed with thick coconut milk and garnished with curry leaves.
Puttu
A type of steam cake, 'Puttu' is made from rice flour and steamed in long hollow bamboo or metal cylinders. Depending on the taste preference, Puttu can be had with steamed bananas and sugar or with a spicy curry made from gram or chickpeas.
Tapioca And Fish Curry
A sumptuous, mouthwatering delicacy, it's a not- to- be-missed combination of 'Kappa' and 'Meen curry'. With natural flavours erupting out of it liberally, the fish curry is made with garlic paste, onions and red chillies and seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Desserts
The rich and irresistible desserts form an essential part of the meals. These are served midway through the meals.
Payasam is a thick fluid dish of brown molasses, coconut milk and spices, garnished with cashewnuts and raisins. There could be a succession of payasams, such as the lentil payasam and the jackfruit payasam, Bengal gram payasam and so on, though 'Adapradhaman', a rich payasam with thin rice wafers, is arguably the ultimate delicacy.
'Palppayasam', made with sugar, ghee and spices, brewed in creamy white milk is regarded as the last word in sweet dishes. This is served with a golden yellow sweet pancake known as 'boli'.
