Onam Sadya – 9 Fascinating Facts about Kerala’s traditional feast

“Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam” is a famous Malayalam idiom, which means- One must have the Onam lunch i.e. Onam sadya even by selling one’s property if need be. 

The usual Onam sadya items include banana chips, yam chips, jaggery coated banana chips, mango pickle, lime pickle, tamarind & ginger chutney, gourd in mildly spiced yogurt, pineapple in yogurt, ash gourd with black beans in a coconut-milk gravy, stir-fried vegetables with grated coconut, mixed vegetable gravy, mashed beans and pumpkin with coconut gravy, yogurt-based curry, black chickpeas curry, sambar, rasam, spicy buttermilk, bananas, papad and of course boiled rice.

I had the pleasure of experiencing it during my wellness staycation at The Nattika Beach Ayurveda Resort. 

Although the chef there explained to me the importance of sadya, I found the whole concept so fascinating that I ended up reading even more about it to appease my curiosity. 

Below are some facts about the Onam sadya aka Kerala sadya:

1. Cultural importance of Onam sadya

Apart from being a must for the Onam and wedding celebrations, some families even host a sadya for birthdays and other special family occasions. Moreover, certain temples organize special sadya during important festivals and auspicious days.

2. Number of food items

There are usually about 20-24 items (12 being the least) on an Onam sadya. The number of dishes on the banana leaf is said to reflect the wealth and prosperity of the host.

On occasions like weddings, there could even be 30 items served.

3. Placement of Banana leaf

An Onam sadya gets served on a banana leaf. The broader side of the leaf rests on the right, while the pointed end is on the left. Once you have finished eating, you should fold the plantain leaf in half. 

4. Thoughtful placement of the food items

There is a set order for placing the food items on Sadya, which helps the guests eat in a set order too. 

The host serves the dry or semi-dry items on the top half of the banana leaf. The main accompaniments such as rice, lentils, sambhar, curry, etc, reserves the bottom half of the leaf.

As you progress through the meal, you can pick and choose the items from the top half and mix them with the main meal as per your desired taste.

5. The art of eating

The guests should eat the sadya using their hands instead of cutlery. 

As per Ayurvedic science, our hands and feet are the conduits of the five elements present on the Earth. 

Each finger is an extension of one of the five elements. The thumb is Agni (fire), the forefinger is vayu (air), the middle finger is akash (ether), the ring finger is prithvi (earth), and the little finger is jal (water) which helps in swallowing the food. 

6. Payasam – the beloved dessert of Kerala

The Payasam, a popular dessert in Kerala, turns out to be the most expensive item on a sadya. The dish contains rich ingredients like coconut milk, fruits, vermicelli, dry fruits, etc. 

The host gets relatively more concerned about the variety of Payasam (Pal Payasam, Palada Pradhaman, and Kadalaparippu Pradhaman) that he would serve. Some people eat this beloved dessert with ripe yellow plantain.

7. Onam sadya is a pure vegetarian feast

Since Onam sadya mostly gets prepared on auspicious occasions, a banana leaf filled with all the items is offered to God first. Hence, you will never find any non-vegetarian dish on the banana leaf.

8. No wheat-based dishes

You would not find any wheat-based dishes in a traditional Onam sadya. Kerala has an abundance of rice and coconut. Consequently, most of the items on the banana leaf contain coconut in one form or the other and rice, which is a staple in Kerala. 

9. Onam sadya is an organic local feast

The pickles served in an Onam sadya are prepared from seasonal produce, such as mango, lime, gooseberry, and ginger. It is spices and oil that act as emulsifiers instead of vinegar.

Also, the signature spices in most of the sadya dishes are pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, bay leaf, mustard seeds, and curry leaves, all of which are locally produced and sourced.

Conclusion

I hope you got a fair idea of what Onam sadya is all about. Why don’t you get into the kitchen, and try recreating sadya? 

You should experience a traditional Onam sadya at least once in a lifetime.

Please join my mailing list (at the bottom of the page), and stay tuned for more stories. You can follow @bulbulonthewing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram to get regular updates.

Related readings:

• 5 Reasons to visit south India
• The Travancore Heritage (Trivandrum, India)