Heritage of Travancore Food fest @ Vivanta By Taj , Trivandrum

Vivata By Taj, Trivandrum is hosting the ten-day food festival giving chance to explore the culinary bests of Travancore and also to revisit some traditional classics that have made this cuisine famous. The focus is on the culinary delights from the central Travancore area (Trivandrum to Kottayam) showcasing some of the famous delicacies from Travancore cuisine along with some of the lesser known dishes.

I started my Travancore trip from the’ Salad and Pickle’ section which had a good spread of

‘Chamanthis’, Chundal and Achaars. Chamanthi in Kerala is authentic chutney with Coconut as the main ingredient prepared by pounding the ingredients in the idi oralu or ammi kalla  (2 varieties of stone pounder). Some of the chamnathis which I tasted – Manga Chamanthi – raw mango, fresh coconut, Chutta Chamanthi  - roasted red chillies  & coconut with tamarind, Thenga chamanthi –fresh coconut. Then there was another section within this of Chundal – stir-fried black gram with spices and fresh coconut and Kappa Iddichamanthi. For pickles, we had Kanni Manga achaar – Tender Mango pickle, Prawns achaar, Fish Achaar, Beef achaar – all homemade recipes with the perfect balance of vinegar, salt and spices For starters there is live station which served Ulli (onion) Vada and Mutton cutlet. Mutton cutlet was as authentic as you have it at your grandmother’s kitchen.

For the Main course, There are four non-vegetarian dishes and around eight to ten vegetarian dishes. Live station to serve accompaniments like appam/dosas. In the non-veg section, we had ‘Kappa Biriyani ‘ which is a mix of Tapioca and hot & spicy beef with bones and fat. On its own Kappa biriyani is a complete meal, but it also goes well as starters if taken in small portions. Mutton Peralan  -  spicy, deliciously soft mutton in dry gravy which tastes exotic. Meen Puliyela Pollichattu - Fried Fish in Banana Leaf Wrap, the fish in wilted Banana leaf, bedded on fresh Tamarind leaf marinade – very mild lovely fresh taste of tamarind and fish that melts in your mouth. 'Pidi Kozhi' - It is a very delicious and delightful dish used in the middle and northern part of Kerala. This classic lip-smacking Kerala Delicacy is a one-pot meal, with soft rice dumpling cooked along with spicy coconut chicken stew. Delicious in taste, this dish has carbs and proteins all packed in one, making it a dish you can eat by itself!

Veg section had elaborate spread of 'Koombu Thoran' – Banana flower, with freshly grated coconut and mild spices and tampered mustard seeds, 'Carrot Valia Payar Mezhukaperiti' – stir-fried, Veg Kurma, 'Cheru Payar Kazhakya Kootu curry' (green gram, plantain coconut curry), 'Pavakya Theeyal' – Bitter gourd in fried coconut ground into fine paste gravy,'Kachiye More',  Potato roast and steamed sweet Potato.

 

For desserts, there’s a wide selection from the very traditional stuff like Gottambu (Wheat) payasam,Parripa (Bengal Gram) Payasam, Keripeti(Palm Jaggery) Halwa,   to very local delights like vatteppam, unniappams and achappams with a modern twist. ‘Heritage of Travancore’ concludes on Nov 25.