The kerala cousine and the cinema

I've been to Kochi recently and what’s fun if you are not trying the local cuisine? So I tried Parota with beef, Iddiyapam, puttu, appam and kappa.

As someone who loves trying new foods, watching Malayalam movies has been a gateway to discovering Kerala's delicious and unique cuisine. From up-close shots of people enjoying their meals to pivotal plot points centred around food, these movies have genuinely influenced my taste buds.



One particular scene from the movie Hridayam stood out to me. When Arun asks Nitya on a food date, he takes her to an authentic hotel where they enjoy Kerala's famous parotta with beef. Another scene from Vikram Vedha has Vedha instructing Vikram on how to eat the Parotta with beef 101. These scenes highlight the role that food plays in Malayalam movies, and how it can bring people together in different ways.

As someone from Andhra, where beef is taboo and even talking about it can be culturally insensitive, I was curious to try it for myself. And while it may not be a part of my own tradition, I respect and appreciate the culture and traditions of others.


In addition to the parotta with beef, I also tried iddiyapam and it quickly became one of my favourite foods. Joining the ranks of all-time favourites like sambar and allo paratha, the process of making iddiyapam was also depicted in the movie Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, where the male protagonist was obsessed with having it three times a day. A scene of the female protagonist easily squashing the iddiyapam maker showed off the karate skills that she had been learning on YouTube.



I had Puttu and appam, and they tasted good depending on the curry you prefer to have them with what I observed is most tiffin centres don't offer chutney along with the breakfast which is odd, here in Andhra few hotels are only famous for the chutney and I am obsessed with the gutte chutney and I even wrote an article about it.

Overall, the cuisine of Kerala has left a lasting impression on me and has broadened my culinary horizons. I look forward to discovering more delicious dishes from this region and beyond, inspired by the movies that brought them to my attention.



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