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Kerala welcomes people with a range of attractions. The backwaters being one of them, gets travel enthusiasts and nature lovers from all corners of the world. One of the best things to do while on a trip to this part of India is taste its cuisine. Known for its rich ingredients, strong aroma of spices and taste that treats your taste buds, cuisine of Kerala is hard to miss. Being at the hill stations, backwaters or the beaches of the state you can get to savor the recipes. Commonly referred as the South-Indian cuisine, the delicacies may differ from those of other states of the southern India in form of tastes and preparation techniques. Some of the recipes however, are same.
The coastal state of Kerala produces a lot of food items in its belt. Some of these may include a range of spices, bananas, coconut and different kinds of crops. Spices in Kerala are famous and are exported outside India. Cuisines of Kerala are mainly about using coconut and spices in different ways. Coconut can be grated, chopped or cut in different sizes to use in recipes. Coconut oil and milk is used in several ways in the food for taste. Some of the recipes of Kerala that are eaten as breakfast items are dosas, sambhar, idlis, uttapams and puttu. Some of these cuisines are prepared using rice powder, spices, coconut and vegetables. Breakfast cuisine of Kerala is greatly enjoyed by visitors during the cruise tours across the backwaters in the state.
Lunch is equally enjoyable in Kerala. If you are a foodie, you will love to taste the pulses made with a mix of different spices. The aroma of such a pulse is enough to make you hungry. It can be savored with rice and vegetable curry made with seasonal vegetables. You can savor some of the traditional delicacies like "Vallepam", which is a pancake made out of fermented paste of rice. This can be teamed with stew or coconut milk and eaten as a snack item. Vallepam is also prepared using meat and egg. Rice being the staple food in Kerala is used in many ways in different recipes. Cuisines of Kerala mainly consist of pulses, rice, mixed vegetable curries and coconut drinks. For sweet they have a special preparation called, “payasam”, which is also known as "pradaman". This is prepared with rice, bananas, sugar or jaggery and milk, which is cooked and simmered till it becomes thick like custard.
Cuisines in Kerala also include sea fishes like oysters, crabs, rays, tuna, mackerel, shark and sardines. Seafood is loved by visitors in the state who try different kinds of recipes during the trip. Some of the famous recipes in seafood are “Karimeen” and “Fish Moilee” which are preferred dishes in Kerala.
Fresh fruits and vegetables found in the state add to the taste of various cuisines of Kerala. Those finding something to munch on or carry back home have snack items such as banana chips, murku made up of rice, spices and pulses, halwa made up of flour, fruits, sugar and nuts, shakaruperi.
Cuisines of Kerala can best be enjoyed during the festival of Onam, during the grand feast of “Sadya” organized during the day. Tourists can enjoy all sorts of delicacies made out of coconut and banana in the state that specializes in the production of these fruits. A trip to Kerala is sure to leave you rejuvenated and your taste buds rewarded with delicacies whose aromas linger in your mind forever.
Lunch and dinner are similar in the cuisine of Kerala. Rice is the staple diet of Kerala, India. A typical lunch or dinner meal would consist of rice, dal - a gravy made of pulses, various seasonal vegetables cooked with coconut and different spices for flavor, a seafood curry and a sweet dish for desert, such as "payasam or "pradaman." Sweet dishes are usually made using rice, milk, sugar or jaggery and bananas and cooked to form a thick custard like consistency.
Seafood is very popular in Kerala and consumed with every meal. Various fish including sardines, mackerel, tuna, rays and shark are eaten, as are crabs, mussels and oysters. "Karimeen" or fried fish is a popular dish as is fish curry called "Fish Moilee."
Various locally available vegetables such as tapioca, cassava and yam form part of the cuisine of Kerala. Seasonal fruit such as papaya, jackfruit, mangoes and lime are eaten at different times of year. Bananas and coconut are available year round and are a staple of the Kerala diet. The refreshing juice of the tender coconut is a delightful drink, which you can enjoy on Kerala Tours with Kerala Backwater.
Apart from meals, various snacks are part of the cuisine of Kerala. These include banana chips, murku (friend rings made from a batter of rice, pulses and spices), shakaruperi (banana chunks coated with jaggery and ginger) and various kinds of halwa (thick pudding made from flour and sugar and flavored with fruits), which are eaten during the day. The best Kerala cuisine can be had during the festival of Onam. A grand lunch called "Sadya" is the highlight of Onam day.
Enjoy tasting the delicious cuisine of Kerala while on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.
Two of the integral constituents of Kerala cuisine are
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