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The Cuisines of Kerala tickle your taste buds apart from carving a niche of their own among cuisines of other states in the subcontinent. With some of the tastiest foods in the world, the cuisines of Kerala introduce the state to travelers as the place of foodies. Apart from being hot and spicy, the cuisines of Kerala offer several gastronomic opportunities. The food is usually fresh, aromatic and flavored. It is difficult to imagine Kerala without chilies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, tamarind and asafetida. Tamarind is often a substitute to tomatoes, but there is no alternative to curry leaves. Coconut too is an integral part of the cuisines of Kerala. Cuisines of Kerala make good use of whatever the land offers. The simple kanji as well as the sadya or feast is equally relished. Some of the popular dishes are: the rasam, appam and the puttu. Rasam is served after a delectable course of sweets. It is a pleasant diversion from the other cuisines and is poured on a serving of rice. Rasam is a blend of chilly and pepper corn powder boiled in tamarind juice. It is accompanied by moru or plain sour buttermilk with chopped green chilies and ginger. Appam is a soft pancake made of toddy - fermented batter of rice - with a soft spongy middle, laced with crispy edges. It is consumed with vegetable, chicken or mutton stew, mellowed with thick coconut milk and garnished with curry leaves. Puttu is a steam cake made from rice flour, steamed in long hollow bamboo or metal cylinders. Puttu can also be had with steamed bananas and sugar or with a spicy curry made of gram or chickpeas. A mouthwatering delicacy is tapioca and fish curry which combines kappa and meen curry. The fish curry is made with garlic paste, onions and red chilies. It is then seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves. The desserts are served midway between the meals. These include: payasam (a thick fluid of brown molasses, coconut milk and spices that is served with cashew nuts and raisins) and palppayasam which is made with sugar, ghee and spices brewed with cream.
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