Six things I love about Kerala

Kerala is land rich of scenic beauty and cultural heritage. One visiting this God’s own country is bound to fall in love with its unique and amazing cultural heritage. The way Keralites protect and preserve their traditions and pass it on to the future generations is applaud-able. I was enchanted and thrilled by their lifestyle and respect towards their traditions and especially appreciated the following aspects from a traditional Keralite lifestyle.

1. Food:

As I love food, let me talk about this first. The sweets made in traditional Malayali style and their breakfast recipes are what I loved most. They emphasize eating according to climatic conditions and prefer mostly traditional recipes. Among multiple recipes like puttu, aappam, pazham pori, I loved the aappam most.

Aappam, a lovely breakfast recipe

Available at most affordable cost and best option for a vegetarian, Aappam is the one I preferred as my meal at any time of the day. It literally melts in our mouth and one definitely loses count of how many they are consuming. Served with traditional vegan chutney and sambar, aappam is lip smacking. Non vegetarians can enjoy it with chicken curry and fish curry. The traditional meals Sadhya is another interesting aspect. I have to write a minimum of two page post on it. It is that filling and tasty!!

Traditional Kerala Sadhya

Served on a fresh green banana leaf, the red rice of Kerala and the dishes rich with coconut and yogurt are awesome. Appalams, chutneys, fried chillies,sambar and desserts are what you love for a second serving. Accompanying a meal with warm water mixed with ginger or traditional herbs is a common practice in Kerala which is said to aid digestion and provide immunity against infections. I liked this point very much!!

2. Mother Tongue:

The way Keralites love their mother tongue is really worth mentioning. Though known for 100% literacy achievement, their mother tongue Malayalam is the most spoken language all over Kerala. Many sign boards and advertisements are often visible in Malayalam only.  The way they protect they protect identity is notable.

3. Housing style:

A house from a Keralaite point of view is not just four walls and a ceiling. Houses in Kerala look more like a resorts for any other outsiders. Houses are amidst vast gardens with green trees like coconut, banana, betel, lovely flowering plants and many more. Every house has a protection scheme from rain water and the outside view of a house is beautiful. Ventilation and open air are given importance for traditional houses and water is not at all a problem in Kerala.

The tall trees around houses are always a home for various birds which offer a relaxing and refreshing experience.

4. Kerala bride:

As a traditional Indian woman, I always give place for the yellow metal Gold in my heart. And when I have seen a bride in Kerala, I was amazed!! They wear gold right from neck to bottom of stomach and trust me, I could never see all the jewellery fully. I was always confused which piece I have to watch and enjoy. One can never understand whether it is the beauty of the bride that is enhancing the look of jewellery or vice versa. A Kerala bride is really stunning in that gold!!

5. Saree:

Known for its simplicity and amazing look, one can never complete a description about Kerala without mentioning the traditional Kerala saree. It gives a traditional look besides looking very comfortable and elegant. It suits all occasions whether formal or informal. It is a common thing that devotees visiting temples in Kerala are 99% visible in this traditional saree.

6.  Lifestyle:

Keralites follow a simple lifestyle. They eat according to their climatic conditions, they believe in early to bed and early to rise. Night life is very rarely seen and most of the roads give a deserted look after 7PM. They enjoy nature and live very close to it. They follow traditional ayurvedic tips and use local herbs for bathing and drinking etc. They pass on the culture and heritage to off springs in a very systematic way and their family life is very well organized.

I wish I could pay a visit to this beautiful place once again and learn a lot more about they beautiful culture and traditions.

Images from Google images