Onam Special: How to eat Onasadya the right way? Here's your guide to Kerala's iconic feast

By Deepu Mohan | First Published Sep 9, 2024, 5:25 PM IST

The Onasadya feast, a cornerstone of Onam celebrations, is a culinary spectacle showcasing Kerala's rich flavors and traditions. To truly experience it, one must understand its structure and consumption technique.

The grand Onam feast, also known as Onasadya, is a culinary spectacle that showcases the rich flavors and traditions of Kerala. This elaborate spread is a cornerstone of Onam celebrations, and its consumption is an art form in itself. To truly experience Onasadya, one must understand the intricacies of its structure and the science behind its consumption.

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The feast is laid out on a banana leaf, with the tip pointing to the left of the diner. The leaf is divided into two sections by its rib, and the dishes are placed in a specific order. The meal begins with crispy chips and pappadams, accompanied by a banana. Next, a variety of pickles, including mango, lemon, and ginger, are arranged on the leaf. These are followed by kichadi and pachadi, which are yogurt-based sauces with vegetables like cucumbers, beetroots, or bitter gourds.

The thoran, a stir-fry made with coconut and chilies, and the avial, a flavourful mix of boiled vegetables, are the next additions to the leaf. Olan and kalan, two supporting curries, complement the spread. If you plan to avoid overeating, it's essential to pace oneself and take less servings of rice, preferrably two at a time, as multiple servings of curries will follow.

The consumption of Onasadya is a deliberate process. Start by mixing parippu curry (Kerala's version of moong dal curry) with rice, crushing pappadams into it, and drizzling ghee. Then, add avial and thoran to the mix. After finishing the sambar, wipe the leaf clean and prepare for the ada payasam, which is a sweet dessert made with ada (rice flakes), jaggery, and coconut milk. Take out the banana on the leaf, squash and mix it with ada payasam to give a different dimension to the flavour. After this comes the semiya payasam, which is a sweet dessert made with vermicelli, sugar, milk, ghee, dried fruits and nuts. In some places in Kerala, you'll be served boli, upon which you have to pour the semiya payasam, mix and have it one mouthful at a time.

Take a break after the payasams and sip water before proceeding to the sour curries. This sequence helps in digestion, preventing reflux and indigestion. From here on, reduce rice intake to a spoonful per curry. Rasam, a sour soup, leads the procession, followed by kalan, olan, pulissery (yogurt-based sauce), and moru (buttermilk). You may opt to have rasam and moru with or without rice as well.

The key to enjoying Onasadya is to savour each dish, mixing and matching flavors, and pacing oneself to avoid overeating (especially if you are on a diet and have a smaller appetite). By following this structure and technique, one can truly appreciate the grandeur of this traditional Kerala feast.

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