Portuguese Influence in the Culinary Traditio...

Portuguese Influence in the Culinary Traditions of Kerala

Author Name : Annie Racheal E.V

INTRODUCTION

Kerala’s history is soaked in stories of cultural diversity and heritage that has created on identity unique to it. In the heart of Kerala, lies the love of its people for food. As culture and traditions flourished food became to the one of the most prominent matter in people’s lives. Development of Trade along with religious beliefs and tradition paved way for the emergence of varieties of cuisines. Innovative ideas and new ingredients formed exclusive and different flavours. These flavours changed from one community to another even from one household to another¹ significant part of this cultural emergence was the birth of various cuisine, developed as a consequence of religion, rituals, foreign food ingredients and the adaptation of local food to favour new plates. The cultural identities which developed through foreign contact, religious practices and specific food habits is important to understand the evolution of new cuisines, which had made interesting development such as food laws and ingredients used by different section of people in different manner.