Kerala sadhya

The Kerala sadhya, the traditional Keralan vegetarian banquet served on a banana leaf, with 24-28 dishes arranged in a precise ritual sequence. The signature dishes include Avial (mixed vegetables in coconut-and-yogurt), Sambar (lentil-and-vegetable stew), Rasam (tamarind-pepper broth), Thoran (dry vegetable with coconut), Pachadi (sweet-and-sour yogurt), Olan (ash-gourd in thin coconut milk), Kalan (ash-gourd in thick coconut), Erissery (pumpkin-lentil), Payasam (3-4 sweet puddings). The Onam-sadhya (annual harvest festival) is the ceremonial peak; the daily Nambudiri Brahmin sadhya and the Namboothiri Illam temple-sadhya extend the tradition into daily food. The 1958 Nair tharavad reorganisation of the Namboothiri-Nair sadhya hierarchy shaped the modern form.