Aviyal is a dish that has a unique place in a typical
Kerala CuisineThe cuisine of Kerala is linked in all its richness to the history, geography, demography and culture of the land. Because many of Kerala's Hindus are vegetarian by religion, and because Kerala has large minorities of Muslims and Christians that are predominantly not vegetarians, Kerala cuisine...
as well as in Tamil cuisine. It is a thick mixture of a lot vegetables,
curdCurds is a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar and then draining off the liquid portion . Milk that has been left to sour will also naturally produce curds, and sour milk cheese is produced this way...
and
coconutThe Coconut Palm is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long, pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth. The term coconut refers to the seed of the...
.It is seasoned with
coconut oilCoconut oil is extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconut harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
and curry leaves. Aviyal is considered an essential part of the
SadhyaSadya means banquet in Malayalam .A Sadya is a big feast associated with a special occasion, such as a marriage, birthday, childbirth etc. A Sadya is traditionally a vegetarian meal served on a plantain or banana leaf; people eat sitting cross-legged on the floor...
.
Vegetables commonly used in aviyal are yam, plantain, pumpkin, carrots, beans, brinjal and avarai. Some people prefer to substitute raw mango or tamarind pulp for the curd.
Discussion
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Aviyal is a dish that has a unique place in a typical
Kerala CuisineThe cuisine of Kerala is linked in all its richness to the history, geography, demography and culture of the land. Because many of Kerala's Hindus are vegetarian by religion, and because Kerala has large minorities of Muslims and Christians that are predominantly not vegetarians, Kerala cuisine...
as well as in Tamil cuisine. It is a thick mixture of a lot vegetables,
curdCurds is a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar and then draining off the liquid portion . Milk that has been left to sour will also naturally produce curds, and sour milk cheese is produced this way...
and
coconutThe Coconut Palm is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long, pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth. The term coconut refers to the seed of the...
.It is seasoned with
coconut oilCoconut oil is extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconut harvested from the coconut palm . Throughout the tropical world it has provided the primary source of fat in the diets of millions of people for generations. It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry...
and curry leaves. Aviyal is considered an essential part of the
SadhyaSadya means banquet in Malayalam .A Sadya is a big feast associated with a special occasion, such as a marriage, birthday, childbirth etc. A Sadya is traditionally a vegetarian meal served on a plantain or banana leaf; people eat sitting cross-legged on the floor...
.
Vegetables commonly used in aviyal are yam, plantain, pumpkin, carrots, beans, brinjal and avarai. Some people prefer to substitute raw mango or tamarind pulp for the curd. This dish can be made into a gravy and eaten with rice or be made into a semi-solid side dish. The word "aviyal" is also used to denote an assortment or a mixture - this sense being derived from the way the dish is made.
Mythology
It is supposed to have been invented by
BhimaIn the Mahābhārata, Bhima was the second of the Pandava brothers. He was son of Kunti by Vayu, but like the other brothers, he was acknowledged son by Pandu . He was distinguished from his brothers by his great stature and strength....
(one of the Pandava brothers) during his agnaathavaasa. According to the legend, Ballav (Bheem's name during this time) when he assumed his duties as the cook in the kitchen of Virata, did not know how to cook. One of the first things he did was to chop up many different vegetables, boil them together and top the dish with grated coconut.
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