Yoga Ambassadors enjoy Kerala’s traditional vegetarian feast

The yoga ambassadors were feasted on the massive sadya (traditional vegetarian meal of Kerala) meal in Thekkady at the Carmelia Haven hotel. The delegates were surprised an enthused by the potpourri of distinct flavours.

The Sadya, prepared at the hotel, was a grand meal spread across on a banana leaf, with close to 24 traditional Kerala dishes. The all-vegetarian meal is one of the highlights of the Malayali harvest festival Onam.

The sadya included plain brown rice, with a range of pickles, pachadi, erissery, pulisherry, kalan, olan, aviyal, sambar, parippu, rasam, buttermilk, papad, jaggery coated bananas, banana chips and payasam.

For better insight into how good it was, let’s ask the yoga experts visiting Kerala who have been hooked into the state’s cuisine for the past 5 days. “The sadya was outstanding. It just made us experience a whole of of taste in a go. And, above all, I learned to eat with my hand. It’s a mind-blowing experience,” said Sandra Barnes from Worcestershire, who initially took the help of a papad instead of her hands to taste the sadya.

Watching Nihel Bchini taste the sadya itself is a feast. As in meditation, she just close her eyes before tasting each dish and feel the taste. “I have always been interested in trying out different varieties of food. But, so far, nothing has made me cry out of joy. Though I have no idea about the names of the dishes, I am happy to try everything as they are all very tasty, healthy and fresh,” said Nihel Bchini from Tunisia.