For Indian cuisine, the use of numerous spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits as well as the widely spread vegetarianism is characteristic. Approximately 40 % of the Indian population are vegetarian; particularly Hindu people belong to the higher castes strictly live as vegetarians.

 

The Indian cuisine however is just as diverse as the Indian subcontinent itself and there are huge differences from state to state. Varying ethnical and religious compositions of the states as well as different climatic conditions have their influence on the regional Indian cuisine.  The cooking style in Kerala of Southwest India reflects the history and culture of that region which has been influenced for over 2000 years by sailors and travelling traders. Today, only around half of the population of Kerala are Hindu. They have contributed the enormous variety of vegetarian meals. The remaining population consists of Christians (mostly with ancestors from Syria and Portugal) and Muslims who brought Arabian food such as pastries and meals with fish, meat and sea food into the cuisine of Kerala. Even commercial travelers of Southeast Asia have left marks in the cooking style of Kerala.

 

Due to the climatic conditions, the vegetarian cuisine of Kerala includes vegetables and fruits that are not commonly used in other Indian regions, such as pumpkin, plantains and taro. Meals such as „Pathiri“, a rice pancake usually served with a meat curry, „Porotta“, a layered flat bread, and the Kerala versions of the traditional "Biriyani" curries are all based on cultural influences of Southeast Asia and Arab countries.

In Indian cooking, spices are essential. Pepper, chili powder, ginger, garlic and coriander are the most common spices that every Indian housewife knows how to use. Kerala is particularly famous for its black pepper and cardamom. Typically Kerala meals further make use of ginger, cinnamon, cloves as well as fresh curry leaves, coconut milk, tamarind and lime. The latter are being used to flavour the popular sour chutneys.

Cooked vegetable curries with rice are a typical South Indian lunch. They are usually being prepared with coconut oil. Instead of using plates, the curries and chutneys are often served on fresh green banana leafs. This is usually done in a very elaborated way called “Sadhya” during religious festivals such as "Onam”. Typical festival dishes which are being served this way include "Aviyal", a cream made from various vegetables, coconut, curd and sometimes fresh curry leafs, "Sambar", a lentil dish including tomatoes and spices such as Masala, and "Kaalan", which is made of yoghurt, coconut and a particular kind of vegetable for instance plantains or manioc.

Rice is an essential part of Indian food. Rice is being used in a large variety of dishes: as supplement to different vegetables and fruits, curries and fish meals, as soup, pastry, and even as sweet desserts. "Payasam" for instance is a dessert made from boiled rice with the addition of sugar, saffron, spices, pistachios and almonds. Even for breakfast rice is eaten in India: "Putt" is a piece of dough made from rice flour and grated coconut, it is usually being served with "Kadala", a black bean curry which is also popular in Sri Lanka. Besides rice, cassava (manioc) is a popular ingredient of South Indian cuisine.

We offer a cooking course at Cochin/Kerala with an Indian housewife who is going to give you an insight to the cooking of Kerala and South India. She can also pay special attention to your own interests. The maximum number of participants is 4 persons.