Thiruvananthapuram

Throughout Kerala, right from Kanyakumari to Kasaragode, “Sadya” is the general name given to a typical traditional Kerala meal. The cuisine in Thiruvananthapuram is no exception.Freshly prepared boiled rice is served on plantain leaves. Kaalan (spiced up curry made of melon and ripe mangoes in butter milk), Olan (white pumpkins, grams cooked in thick coconut milk), Thoran(dry vegetable dressed with coconut scrapings) and Erisseri (jackfruit in a thick peppery gravy) are the most popular side dishes.There is also Avial( vegetables cooked and mixed in thick coconut gravy spiced with chillies) and Stew(potatoes and onions cooked in coconut milk).Gourds, pumpkins, mangoes, jackfruit, pulses and coconuts are the predominant ingredients used in preparing dishes.

Crisp banana chips and pappadams supplement the typical feast., part of the cuisine inThiruvananthapuram. A yummy helping of payasam made of rice and milk is the most popular dessert. There are payasams made with peas and grams. The taste and flavour are often enhanced with cardamom, cashew nuts and raisins.A variety of payasams are available both black and white among which Palada pradhaman and Pazha pradhaman are the most delicious.

Although the vegetarian dishes of Kerala are very popular, most of the people are non -vegetarians. Non-vegetarian dishes are prepared in the cuisine using chicken, beef, pork, and seafood including mussels, crabs and prawns. There are some mouth-watering dishes prepared with fresh water fish and the people ofThiruvananthapuram and other districts relish the food.

A typical non-vegetarian meal consists of boiled or raw rice with meat side dishes like fish curry/fish fry, chicken curry/chicken fry, beef curry/beef fry or mutton curry.Out of these, fish, chicken and beef are most popular items.