Sadhya – The Kerala Wedding Feast Extravaganza

Before you begin reading about sadhya, answer this:

“Are you a foodie?”

If yes, then you don’t need my help. You would have at least heard about Kerala Sadhya. If you aren’t into food, then may God help you recognize what’s in store for you on the plantain leaf!

Take a good look at the variety of dishes placed in front of you. Chances are that you won’t recognize even half of them. Start tasting them anyway, because that’s what the sadhya is all about.

Let’s backtrack a little.

Indian weddings are always a grand affair, no matter North, South, East or West you go across the country. And when it comes to Kerala, the wedding feast garners more points than the bride and groom combined. While Kerala cuisine has always been of interest to folks outside the state, the feast laid down during its Hindu weddings can perhaps be anointed as the king of them all.

The sadhya literally means “banquet”, and is almost always a vegetarian affair served for lunch. There is typically a minimum of 20 items in a sadhya, though the count can go as high as 40, complete with dessert and fruit.

Sadhya – A Feast on the Leaf

So why use the banana leaf for sadhya? Is it because it’s bigger in size?

Well, that is certainly one of the reasons. But the fact is that it is one of the most eco-friendly food serving arrangements. After the meal, the leaf can be discarded without any hassle. Moreover, a green banana leaf is fresh, healthy and hygienic. And the food served on it can be consumed with bare hands.

The green colour complements the various colours of the sadhya dishes, making them look even more delicious. Moreover, since ghee and oil doesn’t stick to the banana leaf, enjoying the flavours of the dishes is easier.

The top half of the banana leaf is reserved for the variety of accompanying dishes, while the lower half is for the main, which in this case is rice.

The Servings

Sadhya is served in a unique way. Firstly, the banana leaf is placed before a person in such a way that the narrow part of the leaf points to the left. Then, the servers start placing each dish from the top left corner of the leaf, in a particular order.

At first, they place a small banana along with sarkara upperi, upperi and pappadam. Then comes the different types of pickles, like mango, lime, tamarind – and a concoction of ginger and curd. These are followed by various dishes such as thoran, olan, avail, pachadi, kichadi, erissery, kalan and kootukary. Sometimes, salt is served at the rightmost corner. You can use it to season the dishes if you need them a bit salty.

Once all the items are served on the top half of the leaf, rice is served at the bottom centre. Dal curry with ghee is first served, which is followed by sambar. When serving the sambar, you would need to make a small hole in the middle of the rice mound. This prevents the curry from flowing over the leaf.

As you finish your rice, servers will pour tasty rasam to mix with your remaining rice. Once your rice is over, you will be served a variety of payasams, which is a sweet dish prevalent in Kerala. Palada Pradhaman is the most famous of them all. Dal payasam and milk payasam also comes in wedding food menus. Lastly, buttermilk is served at the end of the meal, which is said to aid in proper digestion.

This is not just a wedding feast. Sadhyas are staple food during festivities and celebrations such as Onam (the harvest festival), Vishu (the new year), and during birthdays. Served on a large plantain leaf, the sadhya truly is an edible art.