There is no doubt in any traveler’s mind that Kerala is God’s own country. What else it can be with its lavish beaches, dancing palms, emerald fields, exuberant flowers, its numerous unique temples nesting in and among the hills, ensuring privacy for the gods, and above all, its monsoons lashing the backwaters– an unforgettable scene. All this is a feast for the eyes. Kerala goes one step better-it offers a distinctive feast for the palate too. Though such a small state, Kerala can be divided into three separate culinary regions:
- North Kerala, with its Mopla cuisine (Muslim)
- Central Kerala, chiefly influenced by Syrian Christian cuisine
- South Kerala, with a distinct Brahmin and Travancore Hindu cuisine.
The Coconut is common to all the above three styles of cooking. Fish is of course the single most importat food item in Kerala.The Moplas use a lot of pepper, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, tamarind, chilly powder, coriander, and ground or grated coconut. The Central Kerala Syrian Christian cuisine is very spicy using more red chilly and ‘Kudampuli’ instead of tamarind as the souring agent. A lot of fish is eaten, as also mutton and chicken. South Kerala with an influx of Brahmins and Hindus is predominantly vegetarian.Dosa and idli are a result f the Tamil influence. Everything has a touch of coconut, from the curries to the sambhar, chutneys to kootu (a vegetable preparation eaten with rice or rotis).The souring agent in South Kerala is the mango, and thus we can experience a different flavor in the regional offerings. But the ‘injipuli’ is common to the whole of Kerala – a tantalizing, tongue-tickling sauce made of tamarind, ginger, jaggery,salt and chilly-a must on very plate or leaf as a taste enhancer to the rice and vegetable dishes.