This is a special meal reserved for occasions in Kerala, India. A variety of traditional vegetarian dishes and side dishes are served typically on a banana leaf.
There can be about 25 dishes in a single course. People are seated cross-legged on the floor mats and food is eaten with the right hand with no cutlery. Though this was the tradition, this has been adapted to suit modern times where people have lost the habit of sitting cross-legged on the floor or they are unable to due to health reasons, by having the banana leaf (elai) placed on the table.
The dishes are very variable and it depends on the household. However, typically, we have the following items:
- Rice (white/boiled rice)
- Koottaan (example: sambar with red gram and/or coconut)
- Rasam (with less lentils)
- Kaalan (Curd based)
- Avial
- Olan (pumpkin with whole cowpea)
- Pachadi (sauce with tamarind and jaggery and some vegetable)
- Kichadi (Curd with some vegetable and ground coconut)
- Kootukari (Vegetables with bengal gram and coconut)
- Dry vegetable dish
- Vegetable smeared with oil (mazahukkuparati)
- Lime pickle
- Mango pickle
- Tamarind ginger pickle (Injipuli)
- Papadum
- Plantain Chips (jackfruit chips also, if in season)
- Plantain Chips sweet variety (Sharkara upperi)
- Banana/ Mango pieces
- Plain curd
- Buttermilk
- Payasam (can be milk based or plain jaggery with ghee)
Payasam can be 3 varieties with some of them having coconut milk.
In almost all dishes, coconut is added in either grated form or ground.
The dishes are placed on the banana leaf in a particular order eg. pickles on the left top corner, papadam and fried items alongwith banana on the left bottom corner. Payasam is served in the beginning – just as a taster on the lower half right side of the leaf and next to it is the plain cooked red gram. Ghee is served on top of the red gram. This is mixed with rice and can be eaten separately or with sambar/rasam.
It is an accepted custom that we do not start eating until the waiters serve all the dishes (except rasam, curd and buttermilk) onto the leaf. The major quantity of rice is served after all other dishes are served. Once the rice is served, it is a signal that you can start eating. We start with the payasam first and then the rice etc. Sambar will immediately follow the rice. Once that is done, rasam will be served. In the interim, service of other dishes continue. Once the rasam service is over, the waiters come alongwith the payasam. Some sadyas can have upto 3 varieties of payasam. All 3 would be served one after the other. This can be replenished till satisfied. Once this is done, the waiters bring the curd which is poured on the rice (which is also replenished). Buttermilk is then served in glasses separately. Earlier they had a special leaf based container for such purposes.
Dishes in a sadya do not contain onion or garlic. The dishes may vary and the number of dishes can be more. Earlier, it was made with the vegetables available locally. Now, people tend to include carrots, pineapples, beans etc. in the dishes.
A sumptuous feast worth eating!
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