Sadya - Traditional Kerala Vegetarian Feast

Sadya is the traditional vegetarian feast of the people of Kerala, a southern state in India. Kerala sadya is usually a big feast associated with special occasions like marriages, birthdays and so on. This traditional vegetarian meal is served on a plantain leaf. Sadya provides one’s taste buds to savour sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes.

This vegetarian lunch consists of parboiled pink rice accompanied by side dishes like parippu, sambar, avial, kichadi, thoran, olan, rasam, kaalan, pachadi, pickles like ginger, mango and lime. A variety of payasams or desserts will be served at the end of the meal. Snacks like chips and sarkara upperi are also part of the feast.

Traditionally, the preparation of Sadya is a teamwork managed by a chief cook, who supervises the preparation for each and every dish. Featured in this video is the traditional way of preparing a Sadya as part of a marriage in Kerala.