If you're on a houseboat over Onam or have asked the chef for the full feast, you'll be served a sadya — Kerala's grand vegetarian banquet on a banana leaf. There's an order, a logic, and a few etiquette rules worth knowing.
How the leaf is set
The narrow end of the banana leaf points to your left. Pickles, salts, and crisp items sit at the top edge. Curries and side dishes are arranged in a rough left-to-right order from sourest to sweetest.
The dishes you'll meet
- 01Thoran — finely chopped vegetables stir-fried with coconut
- 02Avial — mixed vegetables in a coconut-yogurt gravy
- 03Sambar — lentil stew, the first major curry
- 04Pulissery — mildly sour buttermilk curry
- 05Olan — ash gourd in coconut milk
- 06Pachadi — yogurt salad, sweet or sour
- 07Payasam — the sweet finish, sometimes two or three kinds
“Eat with your right hand, fold the leaf toward you when you're done, and never refuse the second helping of payasam.”