Kerala Cuisine is purely rice based and is renowned for its unique spicy formulations. The staple food of the Malayalees is rice. Coconut is also an important ingredient in many dishes.
The traditional sadya (meal) in Kerala is served on a banana leaf. Rice is served with a variety of side dishes. Upperi, sarkara upperi and papad comprise the favourite snack items. The side dishes include pickles, thoran and aviyal among other items. Parippu curry, sambar, kaalan and
rasam are served in that order. The meal is wound up with curd and rice. The most attractive part of the menu is the payasam, a sweet dish.
Kappa or tapioca forms another popular food of the Malayalees. The excellent combination of Kappa Vekichathu and Fish Curry of Kerala is very famous. This combination adorns the menu of the most sought after restaurants and hotels. The breakfast dishes of Kerala are exceptional. Typical Kerala breakfasts are appam with egg curry, puttu with kadala curry or idiyappam with chicken curry. Other dishes such as dosa and idli served with coconut chutney or sambar are also common in Kerala. The snacks prepared from fermented rice and pulses, are very popular. The meat and fish preparations of the Christian community and the biryani of the Muslim community of Kerala have become hot favourites with tourists visiting this region. Kerala, with a well-developed vegetarian cuisine is unusual and different from the rest of India.
