Kerala Food

Kerela Food is something special and it is just getting popular all over the world. some of the exclusive Kerela food are Appam and Stew, Puttu, Idiyappam, Pathiri, Parotta, Kerela Fish Curry especially Kerela Karimeen Curry, Kerala Sadya, Payasams, and even the plain steamed Kerala bananas must be tasted to get one of the best culinary experience of the world. We give below some images of Kerala food items to give you an idea of what you are missing.

Popular Kerala Foods

	Appam and Stew from Kerala is made with a rice flour batter fermented with Toddy (alcoholic nectar of Coconut trees) or yeast. Appam is like a pancake with a thick center and paper thin lace border. Stew is a gravy made with coconut milk, spices and meat or vegetables. Very tasty.
	Puttu is a favorite breakfast food of Kerala. It is made with rice powder and grated coconut and then steamed inside a special device made from a bamboo tube. Puttu is eaten accompanied with plantains or boiled Kerala bananas or with curries made with lentils or meat.
	Idiyappam is made with rice powder paste wetted with coconut milk and then extruded through a special hand operated extruder. This then is steamed. Idiyappam can be eaten at any time of the day, but is usually a breakfast food and eaten accompanied with a curry.
	Pathiri is a Kerala Muslim specialty food, but enjoyed by all in Kerala. It is made with rice powder dough rolled flat and then cooked without any oil. Once it is cooked it is immediately soaked in special liquidy coconut milk sauce. Tastes great with chicken curries.
	Parotta is also a Kerala Muslim specialty food made with wheat flour dough and hand shaped into a curly ball and then flattened with a roller to give a flaky flat unleavened bread which tastes great with all curries.
	Karimeen is a special species of fish found only in Kerala. It is sometimes referred to as the Kerala black pearl spotted fish. It is usually either deep fried after being marinated with Kerala masala mix. There is also a special Kerala Karimeen dish called Karimeen Pollichathu. This dish is made by baking the fish marinated in special Kerala masalas and wrapped in a banana leaf. You should never miss this dish while in Kerala.
	Kerala Sadya is the traditional festival meal served on a washed banana leaf with rice and many vegetable curries, different types of spiced yogurt and few types of Payasam (see below). Keralites sometimes eat it squatting on the floor.
	Kerala Tea from a wayside Tea stall. This is a wonderful tea so good, that no five star hotel will be able to match its flavor and aroma. It is tea with milk and sugar and then mixed by pouring from one small vessel into another from a great height as you can see in the picture on the left. This process mixes air into the tea and milk giving tea a flavour you get addicted to, because of the great taste and the way it rejuvenates you. This tea is very popular in Kerala and is the common man's drink. If you get a chance have this Tea then for sure you will try to make a similar tea at home. Hope you can get the same taste!!
	Kerala Fruits Banana and Plantains are known as 'Ethakka' and 'Pazham' in Malayalam, the language of Kerala. You should not miss eating these wonderful fruits when in Kerala. On the left you see a way side shop full of these fruits. When asking for the small plantains make sure you mention that you need the 'Poovan Pazham', the best variety of the small plantain.
	Kerala Bananas are something special and may not be available in any other part of the world. A picture of it is on the left. These bananas are just fantastic, whether they are eaten raw or steamed, or in the form of batter fried fritters or even as deep fried chips. Below you see the various preparations of the versatile Kerala bananas.
	Steamed Kerala Bananas: picture on the left shows Kerala bananas after they have been steamed and cut in half. It can be eaten just like that or it is a great accompaniment for Puttu and Idiyappam. In the language of Kerala, Malayalam it is called 'Ethakka puzhingiathu'.
	Kerala banana fritters or batter fried bananas or 'Pazham Porichathu' in Malayalam. Can be eaten as a snack at any time of the day.
	Banana Chips are made with thinly sliced Kerala bananas, salted and then deep fried. It is a great snack to be eaten at any time of the day.
	Payasam is a porridge like sweet. There are several varieties. Some are made with Cow’s milk, others with Coconut milk. The sweetening agent can be sugar or Jaggary (sugarcane molasses). The solids can vary from Dal (split peas) to Vermicelli or to ripe bananas and other ingredients.