Since ancient times, seafarers
and traders have been drawn by the lure of spices to Kerala. Saint Thomas
also traveled this spice route, converting several Brahmin families who later
intermarried with Syrians who had settled here; thus was born the vibrant
Syrian Christian community of Kerala. Today, ayurvedic massage resorts and
backwater cruises make this scenic land a top tourist destination, and spices
still draw both travelers and gourmands to its rich culinary heritage. It is
this legacy that The Kerala
Kitchen brings us, through more than 170 recipes and the stories
that accompany them.

Authentic
and easy to prepare, these recipes are adapted for the North American kitchen,
and accompanied by a guide to spices, herbs, and equipment, as well as a
glossary of food terms. Interwoven between these recipes, in the best
tradition of the cookbook memoir, are tales of talking doves, toddy
shops, traveling chefs and killer coconuts, evoking the beauty of a bygone era
as well as the compelling pull of the present one.

Sample
recipes:

• Meen
  Vevichathu (Fish Curry Cooked in a Clay Pot)
• Parippu (Lentils with Coconut Milk)
• Thiyal
  (Shallots with Tamarind and Roasted Coconut)


• Pesaha
  Appam (Steamed Rice Bread)
• Paalappam
  (Lace-Rimmed Pancakes)


• Karikku Pudding (Tender Coconut Pudding)