Characteristic products
Although there is a common culinary base throughout the country, there are differences between the cuisines of southern and northern India. In the North, poultry, mutton and goat are more common, while in the South, fish, beef and pork are also widely consumed. Vegetable-based dishes are also more common in the South, and fresh herbs and spices are used more often. Southern cuisine is also spicier. While dairy products such as yoghurt are very common in the north of the country, coconut milk is favored in the south. Finally, although rice is consumed throughout the country, it is more regularly found in South India, where it is often served with lentils, while in the North, dishes are often accompanied by breads made from wheat flour.
With almost 600 km of coastline, Kerala regularly features seafood: sardines, mackerel, kingfish, pomphret, dolphinfish, shark, swordfish, snapper, squid, shrimp, crab... Fish are served grilled, cooked in banana leaves with spices, in sauce or fried. Poultry and meat are a regular feature on the table. Chicken takes pride of place, as in the rest of the country. Note that the term " mutton " refers to both mutton andgoat meat.
Pork is much more popular here than in the rest of India, as Kerala has a large Christian population, while certain Hindu castes such as the Brahmins do not eat pork. Although cows are sacred in India, you can still find them on the menu of many restaurants in Kerala, where beef is highly prized, even by Hindus, although beef is especially popular with Muslims.
A clarified butter that can be stored for several months at room temperature, ghee occupies a symbolic place in Indian homes. Used in cooking, especially on feast days, ghee is also sacred to Hindu ceremonies. Ghee is obtained by melting butter over a very low heat until the fat and whey have separated. It is then filtered to obtain a perfectly limpid solution that withstands high temperatures.
Spices play a crucial role in Kerala's cuisine - and economy. Several varieties, such as black pepper, are native to the region. Garlic, ginger, shallots, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves or kaloupilé, mustard seeds, nutmeg, cloves, fenugreek, coriander - seeds and leaves - and of course chillies, green or red, complete the picture. Bird's-tongue chillies - called kanthari in Kerala - are tiny but particularly pungent. Tamarind pulp and the dried rind of kodambuli and kokum fruits are prized for their sourness. If you have sensitive taste buds, don't hesitate to specify " not spicy " when ordering, to avoid any inconvenience.
Starchy foods such as rice, lentils(daal) and urd beans(urad gram) are used in many breads: dosa (a pancake made from urd beans, chickpeas or rice), appam (made from rice dough), uttapam (a pancake made from white lentils and rice dough), idli (a steamed fermented rice cake), idli appam (the same ingredients asidli, but rolled into bird's nest noodles) and parotha (flaky pancakes made from wholemeal flour).
Classics of South Indian cuisine
Kerala has been the epicenter of pepper and spice production in India for centuries, and trade with other continents has influenced its culinary culture. In this multi-faith state, Hindus, Muslims and Christians all have their own specialties. Of course, the great classics of national cuisine can be found in this state, as well as specialties found throughout the south of the country. South Indians are particularly fond of thali, often called meal, which often constitutes their midday meal, in the form of an assortment of small portions of vegetables and meat or fish, served with rice, papad (small crunchy pancake) and sambar (thick urd bean soup). Vegetables include eggplants, potatoes, green beans, lentils and okra, a green vegetable with a slight eggplant taste.
For breakfast, the idli sambar duo is a must. Dosa and paratha are two patties served at almost every meal. Also worth mentioning is the vada, a very common fritter served as a snack, made from lentils(medu vada) or potatoes(batata vada). Bhaji or pakora are grated onion croquettes. Pachadi is a preparation made with yoghurt, vegetables or fruit (usually cucumber or tomato), coconut and green chillies, known in the north of the country as raita. It's also worth noting that the chutney found in Europe, notably in the UK, based on fruit stewed with vinegar and spices, is very different from Indian chutneys(chatni), often sauces prepared with fresh - but sometimes cooked - vegetables and fruit, enhanced with a host of spices and fresh herbs. One example is the famous kayi chatni, a creamy coconut chutney.
Sadya consists of a host of vegetarian dishes served as lunch on a banana leaf. Not only reserved for religious events, sadya means "banquet" in Malayalam and is a menu prepared for Onam, a Hindu festival blessing the harvest. Common dishes include mathanga erissery (spicy pumpkin stew), pulissery (coconut and cucumber soup),avial (rich vegetable curry), kadala kari (thick chickpea curry),ulli theeyal (spicy spring onion stew) and more.
Hindus in Kerala are less traditional than in the rest of India, and beef is more popular. One example is the famous Kerala beef fry or ullarthiyathu: strips of beef fried and then simmered with spices.
The Muslim presence is illustrated by the biryani thalassery, made with jeerakasala round rice, chicken or mutton, various spices and mint, garnished with cashew nuts and fried onion. It is accompanied by yoghurt-based raita and tenga chammandi (coconut paste). Christians hold Theen Mura, a banquet (which is not vegetarian) generally for Christmas, Easter and family celebrations (weddings, baptisms, first communions, etc.). These include molee and malabar matthi kari, two varieties of fish curry with coconut milk. With its fish-filled coastline, Kerala's seafood products are commonplace: chemmeen kari (creamy shrimp curry), arikkadukka (fried mussels stuffed with rice paste), kallumakkaya ularthiyathu (mussels sautéed with various spices), etc.
Desserts and drinks
Probably the best-known South Indian dessert is pal payasam, a creamy rice pudding flavored with cardamom, rosewater, saffron and cashews, very common in Kerala. Also of note are kozhukattai, prepared by local Christians on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. It consists of small balls of rice flour filled with grated coconut and jaggery (palm sugar). Typical of the Malabar coast, chatti pathiri is a sweet or savoury pancake cake. The sweet version is filled with egg, walnuts and raisins, seasoned with cardamom. Pazham nirachathu is a split plantain banana, filled with a coconut-cashew mixture and deep-fried.Unnakaya has the same filling, but takes the form of a banana doughnut. Halwa - a type of nougat - is found throughout the country.
Halfway between a dessert and a drink, falooda is served iced. It is prepared with rose syrup, vermicelli, psyllium or basil seeds, tapioca pearls and pieces of gelatin with milk or water. Solkadhi is made with coconut milk and kokum, the fleshy, dried skin of the Garcinia indica fruit, which gives it its bright pink color. Alternatively, the more classic lassi is a sweet or savoury yoghurt-based drink, sometimes flavoured with fruit and herbs (mango, pineapple, mint, etc.).
Although tea occurs naturally in the far north-east of India, on the Burmese-Chinese border, its cultivation in the Indian subcontinent only gained importance after the annexation of the country by the British, who were anxious not to depend on the Chinese monopoly. By the early 19th century, the plant was being cultivated fairly intensively, mainly in the Assam and Darjeeling regions. Water-hungry but sensitive to extreme heat, the tea plant thrives in the mountains, at altitudes of between 500 and 2,000 m, depending on the region. In the mid-nineteenth century, tea-growing began in Kerala. This British infatuation with tea eventually infected Indians, who became the world's2nd biggest consumers, just behind China. In India, it is most often drunk as masala chai - black - with milk, lots of sugar and various spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, fennel, cloves, etc.).
Kerala is the country's2nd largest producer of coffee, and as in the rest of South India, it is drunk filtered(filter kaapi). Preparing filtered coffee is almost a ritual, as the coffee beans have to be roasted and ground at the very last moment. The powder is then placed in a filter. Boiling water is poured over it, and the decoction is left for around 15 minutes before milk and sugar are added. The final beverage is then quickly poured from one container to another, to produce a cup of ideally frothy coffee. So, while tea is very popular in southern India, the locals, thanks to their ancient trade with Arab merchants, are more accustomed to coffee than their fellow citizens in the northern half of the country.
On average, Indians consume relatively few alcoholic beverages, but beer remains popular. While the classic Kingfisher beer is the most widely consumed in the country, Malayali, originally from Kerala, is made from rice and hops. Stronger spirits include the famous kallu and charayam, two extremely intoxicating varieties of palm wine or toddy, usually served withpickled vegetables.
