Do you remember waiting for a festival just so you could eat the elaborate delicacies and food reserved just for the occasion? Onam is no different because with it comes the delicious meal which will leave you spoiled for choice.
With as many as 20 dishes to devour on the banana leaf, the traditional Onam sadya is a meal that is immensely satisfying. At the same time, however, if you’re not from Kerala or don’t have your Malayali friends to help you, the sheer variety of choices in the sadya is enough to make you hesitate.
Fear not, because this video by Kerala Tourism will help you get acquainted with what to expect from the Onam sadya – whether you’re serving or eating.
Not only does it label each dish, but also tells you the placement of all the items.
Watch it here:
“Steamed rice is heaped in the centre and bordered with a row of accompaniments that range from pickles, chips to pachadi, aviyal and thoran,” the caption reads.
And then it goes on to explain the positioning:
“Place the banana leaf so that the wider side is on the right-hand side of the person eating the meal. Starting from the left, pappadum and banana are served overlappingly close followed by salt, sharkaravaratti, banana chips, ginger lime and mango pickles. The right side comprises of thorans, khichadi, pachadi and kootu curry, while the centre spot is reserved for aviyal and olan.”
There you have it! Now you’re (reasonably) prepared for the delicious meal that awaits you on Onam. You will enjoy the meal no matter what, but if you want to know more about how to eat Sadya, read TNM’s guide here.