Though I appreciate all kinds of world foods and have realised that tastes are formed early on and by many individual factors, I tend to most relish Indian vegetarian food, especially the South Indian variety. Even in this narrow definition there is diversity as the foods of Andhra or Karnataka are quite different from those of Tamil Nadu or Kerala.
By and large the cuisine of Kerala is equated with seafood delicacies and, in the mood of the present times, with a particular kind of meat. And it is true that these preparations are often quite tasty, albeit with high chilli quotient.
In contrast, it is rare to find samples of benign "home food" type meals in restaurants. Thus, I was lucky to get to eat at the Amrita School of Arts and Sciences, Kochi. The food is tasty, simple yet always diverse in content. The one steady factor is the superb amla pickle.
In contrast, it is rare to find samples of benign "home food" type meals in restaurants. Thus, I was lucky to get to eat at the Amrita School of Arts and Sciences, Kochi. The food is tasty, simple yet always diverse in content. The one steady factor is the superb amla pickle.
Compared to the 80s when I used to visit Kerala frequently, the variety and quantity and quality of vegetables has increased. The brown things in the foreground are called elephant-foot yam.
Gourds of various kinds are also popularly used in the cuisine of Kerala.
While, once upon a time, bananas were almost the only fruit served at the average home in Kerala, today fruit stalls line the roads and routinely offer exotic varieties such as the hairy red rambutan you see in the front row.
