The cuisine of Kerala is as distinctive as its

cultural life and religious tradition. The

cuisine of Kerala is very rich and the
culinary skills of the various communities in
Kerala have given very large varieties to it.
While Hindus specialize in delicious
vegetarian food, the Muslims and Christians
excel in non vegetarian cuisine like Pathiri,
Kozhi curry, Biryani, fish dishes like Meen
Pollichathu and Fish Molee. The cuisine of
Kerala is influenced by the long coastline
and flavoured by the all-pervasive coconut.
The cuisine is enriched with exotic tropical
fruits, vegetables, cereals, seafood ad
herbs. It is garnished with the distinctive
aroma of spices like pepper, cardamom,
chillies and
cloves that brought explorers like Marco Polo and Vasco da Gama from across the seas. It is a holistic,
natural nutritious cuisine that follows the tenets of Ayurveda.
Coconut and spices are added to every dish in Kerala. No meal in the State is complete without rice.
Bananas are also very popular in Kerala cuisine. A typical Kerala breakfast may comprises of Puttu, the
rice powder and grated coconut steam cooked together, idli, sambar and dosa with chutney, idiappam
(string hoppers) or appam, a king of pancake made of rice edged with a crisp lacy frill, eaten with chicken
or vegetable stew. Toddy, which is tapped from coconut trees is a favorite drink among the rural men,
local people and tourists. Kanji and Payaru, Kappa and Fish curry are traditional favorites. 'Kappa'
(Tapioca) and fish curry served with toddy make a unique combination. The crunchy

Costumes of Women in Kerala

Mundum Neriyathum is a traditional dress worn by

women in Kerala. The traditional piece is Mund that is the lower cloth consisting 2

pieces of cloth. It is worn around hips and below the navel. It is a woven cloth this is
completely made of pure cotton. Mund is very easy and comfortable to wear during
summer. This is a white or creamy dress with colorful strips known as Kara or border.
There is a special kind of blouse which is worn with Mundu covering the entire navel.
The upper part of the garment is Neriyathu which is worn over the blouse. Its ends
are instead inside the Mundu. It is worn like a sari in a diagonal manner. The dress
worn everyday and during festive seasons women wear some extraordinary outfits
with an ornamental Kara or a special type of border which is either golden, copper
coated or artificial colored with peacock or temple design.
During Onam, the popular festival of Kerala, women participate in a folk dance wellknown as Kalkotti Kalli Dance. That moment they wear saris with lots of accessories
such as jewelleries.
Costumes of Men in Kerala
Most of the males are conservative even more than women in Kerala. To keep with
their tradition, they wear white clothing which is the universal color for both sexes.
The main clothing is Mundu for men, which is a long garment. It needs to be tucked
around the waist and reaches to the ankle. There are many men who also prefer to
wear it above their waist, but higher caste people drape a cloth which looks-like a
towel over their shoulders. This is worn by men of all religions in Kerala.
Hindu men wear Kasavu Mundu, mostly in rural areas. The clothing is made of cotton
with a silk border. Kaily or Lungi is informal attire for Keralites. However, when they
move out of their homes, they at least put a shirt and Mundu.