There’s a reason travelers from all across the world are obsessed with the varieties and flavours of Kerala cuisine! Inspired by a fusion of Malabari, French, and Arabian influences and enhanced with a touch of Kerala’s unique culture, each dish in the state is an experience in itself that will leave you asking for more and more! From the enormous platters of vegetarian dishes like Sadya, the range of non-vegetarian dishes made with seafood, and lamb, to the sweet and savoury delicacies, the food of Kerala will take you on a savoury joyride! Our resort in Wayanad has a delicious menu that has many of these tasty food items, ready to be eaten. Our resort in Wayanad is the perfect place for you to stay when you visit Kerala.
An overview of Kerala Cuisine –
The staple food of Kerala is greatly influenced by the history and culture of the beautiful state. It’s a blend of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, in which the latter is prepared with a variety of items like fish, poultry and red meat. Rice, fish, and coconut are the most common ingredients of almost all Kerala food that have made it famous. The flavours are enhanced with chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric tamarind, black pepper, cardamom, clove, ginger, cinnamon, and asafoetida which are the most common spices found in the region.
Though the traditional food of Kerala, including Kerala Sadya prepared during festivals and celebratory ceremonies, is vegetarian, the contemporary food of the state includes mostly non-vegetarian dishes. One might also be able to identify the taste of coconut in most dishes in Kerala, owing to the fact that blending grated coconut and its milk in food for thickening and flavouring is a common culinary practice in India and it makes the food much more delicious. You must definitely try some meals at our resort in Wayanad.
Some Popular Dishes from the cuisine of Kerala –
Idiyappam with Curry – One of the most famous dishes of Kerala is Idiyappam which is relished by most of the people. Also known as Noolappam in Kerala cuisine, Idiyappam, food of Kerala, is made of rice flour, salt and water with a number of thin strands or sevai entwined together to make the beautiful texture that this lovely dish bears. It is this texture that makes it versatile and tasty. You can have it with all kinds of curries, but it tastes best with traditional Egg Curry of Kerala.
Erissery which is also known as Pumpkin and Lentil Stew – Erissery is one of the famous dishes of Kerala which is savoured by travellers as well as the local people of Kerala alike. A hit dish in every kitchen of Kerala, this curry is made from either raw plantains or sliced yams. It is typically prepared by boiling slightly sweet pumpkins with salt, chillies or pepper, dried lentils, grated coconut, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and garlic, and is served on a bed of rice once it has been cooked. A favourite Kerala food item on the menu of grand religious festivals of Kerala like Onam, Erissery provides the perfect culinary for foodies who are always on the lookout for new flavours!
Puttu and Kadala Curry – Puttu and Kandala curry is enjoyed by people of Kerala which is considered to be one of the most popular traditional Kerala dishes. A famous breakfast recipe out of the many Kerala dishes, Puttu is a cylindrical steamed rice cake that is cooked in a mould with grated coconut and is absolutely delicious. It can be served with ripe bananas, grated coconut, and kadala curry which is the Keralite version of ‘Kala Chana’!
Appam with Ishtu (Stew) – Appam with stew, one of the older traditional Kerala dishes is flavoursome and yummy. A famous food of Kerala, made from fermented rice flour, coconut milk, coconut water, and a teensy bit of sugar, Appam is essentially a thin pancake with crispy edges which is similar to a Dosa but not exactly one. These crepe-like bowls are best enjoyed with Ishtu, a kind of stew that has been originally derived from the traditional European stew and is made from coconut milk, cinnamon, cloves and shallots, and sometimes also mango pieces and vegetables. The aroma of spices with the sweet fragrance of coconut milk is enough to lure foodies to the kitchen and savour this dish! This dish is one to be savoured and our resort in Wayanad has it on our menu.
Ela Sadya – Ela Sadya is one of the finest meals which has been incorporated in the traditional cuisine of Kerala whose aroma will make your mouth water. Ela Sadya is the king of all Kerala dishes and snacks! With more options than you’d ever have seen on your platter, Sadya is prepared and served during religious and ceremonial occasions like grand festivals, weddings, and more. This massive royal lunch combination of dishes like pachadi, kichadi, pulissery, olan, sambar, varavu, thoran, aviyal, payasam, served with hot steaming rice on a banana leaf can give the enormous thali of Chokhi Dhani a run for its money any day! The next time we host a festival at our resort in wayanad, do ask for the Sadhya!
Parippu Curry which is Dal Curry of Kerala – If you are searching for some good food to eat in Kerala then you must try out this delicacy of Kerala known as Parippu curry. Though unexpected, it is actually one of the most delicious food items of Kerala. The Dal Curry served in Kerala is made from small gram and cow ghee with a considerable amount of spices and chillies. When staying at our resort in wayand don’t skip on this one by mistaking it for your typical traditional ‘ghar ki dal’! You will certainly be really disappointed if you do so, trust us!
Dosa Ghee Roast with Kerala Style Sambar – Food connects us all and if you are looking to have the best food in Kerala then do try dosa Ghee roast with Kerala style Sambar which will leave you craving for more. Listed among the ‘World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods’, dosa and sambar in Kerala cuisine makeup for a deadly combination and culinary paradise! Made from fermented rice and lentils, the ghee roast dosa is first cooked to perfection in pure ghee, and then roasted till it gets as crisp as it can and ready to be served. It is, no doubt, the best food in the state of Kerala.
Idli Sambar – How about relishing some well known south Indian food when in Kerala? Idli Sambhar is one of the best foods in Kerala which is good to go for breakfast and the best health conscious snack in Kerala as well. Perhaps the most famous food of Kerala, idli sambar is fondly eaten in not just all households in Kerala, but everywhere else in India! The perfect combination of fermented rice cakes and a deliciously tangy curry of aromatic spices and vegetables with lentils. Apart from being a favourite of foodies for its taste, idli sambar is also universally accepted for the health benefits it brings along.
Nadan Kozhi Varuthathu – Want to add spicy dishes to your plate? Then, you must try one of the national foods of Kerala that is spicy chicken fry or Kerala style prawn curry as Kerala does not have any single national food. Served with onion, spices, garlic, and vinegar on a banana leaf, Nadan Kozhi Varuthathu is fried chicken made with a generous amount of spices that will leave your tongue on fire. One can have it with chapatis, Kerala Porotta which is a layered flatbread made from maida flour, appam or rice. It also serves as a popular street food in the list of Kerala dishes served with the dosa of Kerala.
Kerala style Prawn Curry – If you are in Kerala and a non-vegetarian then it’s a treat for you to relish the food culture of Kerala by ordering Karimeen Pollichathu for your meal. This traditional food of Kerala is a must-try for all prawn and seafood lovers! The traditional prawn curry of Kerala is sprinkled religiously with chilli and pepper, other than salt and turmeric, and is then cooked in whole coconut milk and jaggery before it is finally garnished with curry leaves and is a paradise for your culinary senses. In fact, trying this exotic seafood dish is one of the best experiences to have in Kerala. One can have it hot with steaming rice or chapatis for a trip to culinary heaven! You must try this dish when staying at our resort in Wayanad.
Karimeen Pollichathu – When in Kerala then enjoy the food culture of Kerala and order the Kerala style fish molee. One of Kerala’s most traditional delicacies, Karimeen Pollichathu is a culinary dish made out of the Pearl Spot Fish, a speckled fish commonly found in the backwaters of Alleppey and Kumarakom. Karimeen Pollichathu is originally a Syrian Christian delicacy but has now become part of the rich cuisine of Kerala. The dish is prepared by marinating the fish in a mixture of lemon juice, red chillies, and other ingredients which are mostly varieties of spices, and then wrapping and baking in plantain leaves. Its exotic style of preparation gives it a rich, unique flavour and leaves you asking for more!
Palada Payasam – A delicacy amid the main food of Kerala that’s now won the hearts of foodies all over the country and across the globe, Palada Payasam is a sweet rice kheer prepared with palada. The dish is usually prepared and served during auspicious occasions and grand festivals like Onam. Among the many varieties of payasam, Palada Payasam is the most popular and is made out of basic ingredients like rice ada, milk, sugar, and cow ghee.
Ethakka Appam which are also known as Banana Fritters – Pazham Pori or Ethakka Appam are both different from each other in characteristics, but equally delicious varieties of banana fritters that serve as a traditional tea time snack in the households of Kerala. They’re simply ripe bananas coated with plain flour and deep-fried in oil and serve as an integral part of the rich cuisine of Kerala. Make sure you don’t leave Kerala without eating some of these with your dose of evening tea or coffee. As always, ask the chef at our resort in Wayand for some hot pazhampori in the evenings along with your “chaaya”!
