Coconuts in Kerala Cuisine :
Coconuts
in Kerala are used extensively in the delicious cuisine of this state. The
juice of the tender coconut is drunk fresh, the soft flesh of the tender
coconut is eaten raw, and the mature flesh is grated and added to curries or
added as garnishing in either fresh or fried form. Coconut oil is extracted
from the dry flesh of the coconut and is used for cooking. The distinctive
taste of coconut oil adds a special touch to the cuisine of Kerala. The
dried and desiccated flesh of the coconut, called copra, is stored for use
in cookery and as offerings in temples. A favorite drink made in Kerala is
toddy or fermented palm wine, which is extracted from the coconut palm.
Coconuts in Kerala are essential for the preparation of favorite dishes such
as coconut chutney, avial (mixed vegetable curry) and fish moilee. A true
Malayalee cannot imagine what life would be like without coconuts in Kerala.
You can taste the delicious cuisine of Kerala, of which coconut is an
essential element, on tours of Kerala, with Kerala Backwater.
Coconut Trees in Kerala :
The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a very important part of the
landscape, traditional lifestyle and economy of Kerala, as you will see when
you travel to Kerala with Kerala Backwater.
Every part of the coconut tree is used in some way. The many uses of the
fruit have been described above. The trunk of the coconut tree is used for
its wood to make beams in traditional houses and the coconut palm's leaves
are used to thatch houses and weave mats, baskets and other useful household
items. The husk of the coconut is used to produce coir, which is woven into
ropes, doormats and furnishing material. The curved shell of the coconut is
used to make spoons and ladles. Every part of the coconut tree is put to
some use. Coconuts in Kerala, are more than just a beautiful part of the
landscape or an essential element in Kerala cuisine.
Coconut trees are essential to the traditional lifestyle and livelihood of
the people of Kerala, as you will see when you travel on Kerala tours with
Kerala Backwater.
Rubber tapping in Kerala :
The rubber plant is not a native plant of India. Dutch colonialists who
also cultivated rubber in their plantations in Indonesia introduced the
rubber plant to Kerala, India, because of its similar tropical climate. The
Rubber plant (its botanical name is Havea brasiliensis) produces sticky,
white latex that is collected and processed to produce natural rubber. A
rubber plant has to grow for about seven years before it can be tapped on a
regular basis. A rubber tree can be productive for over 20 years. Rubber
trees are characterized by their straight trunks and smooth green leaves.
The rubber is harvested by rubber tappers who make a long curving cut on the
outer bark of the trunk of the rubber tree. The latex from within the tree
seeps to the surface of the cut and trickles down the cut into a container,
tied to the tree by the rubber tapper. Every morning the rubber tapper
empties the cup tied to each tree, in the area of the plantation that he
works in. After a few days he will make another cut just above or below the
first cut, thus extracting more latex from the rubber tree. Eventually after
about 20 years the rubber tree will stop producing latex, upon which a new
tree is planted in its place.
Apart from rubber trees other plants grown alongside include spices, areca
nut and cashew. You can see the local farmers and plantation workers tending
and harvesting the crops on rubber plantations in Kerala, while on nature
tours in Kerala.
Tea Plantations in Kerala :
On Kerala tours, as you travel to the hill ranges of the Western Ghats in
Kerala, you'll find some of the highest tea estates in India in and around
Munnar. Tea plantations and tea cultivation were introduced to Kerala by
British settlers in colonial times, when they found that the temperature and
soil conditions of the hill ranges of Kerala were suited to tea cultivation.
India is today the world's largest tea producer and exporter.
Tea cultivation in Kerala :
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) was introduced to India by the British
during colonial times. The bush has shiny green leaves with pointed ends and
have a pleasant aroma. Take a deep breath as you walk through a tea
plantation in Kerala and you can feel the fragrance of tea invigorate you.
Tea bushes will grow to tree height in the wild. On plantations however tea
bushes are maintained at waist height so the leaves can be plucked easily.
Tea picking is carried out by hand, usually by groups of women. Their agile
fingers pick only the bud and first two leaves of each shoot and place them
in a basket slung behind their backs. The women often sing as they work to
help them sustain a rhythm as they move along the rows of tea bushes. The
tea leaves are processed after plucking and sorted into categories based on
fermentations and other processing treatments. The three broad
classifications of tea are - Green Tea, Oolong Tea and Black Tea.
Apart from tea bushes other plants grown on tea plantations include pepper,
cardamom, cashew, and areca nut. The shade trees grown to shelter tea bushes
are also harvested for their fruit. You can see the see the process of tea
picking and processing on tea plantations in Kerala, while on nature tours
in Kerala.
Spice
Plantations :
Kerala is known for its fabulous spices. Traders from ancient Phoenicia
made tours to Kerala to carry back its aromatic spices to Mediterranean
lands. Pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and more… the spices
of Kerala were used in the West to all flavors to food and wine and to
preserve meat during the cold European winter.
Spices can be defined as "aromatic substances of vegetable origin,
used for flavoring food or as a preservative." Many spices are also
known to have medicinal value, for instance turmeric is a known anti-oxidant
and curry leaf can control prevent diabetes.
The East India Companies of various European powers - the Portuguese, the
Dutch, the French and the English fought over possession of the trade routes
and the precious spice plantations of Kerala. Today you can simply take a
tour with Kerala Backwater and find yourself enjoying the hospitality of the
spice plantations of Kerala on Kerala tours.
The spice plantations of Kerala are fascinating farms to wander in, for
different sections of each plantation are dedicated to different spices.
Apart from spices traditionally grown in India such as pepper, cinnamon,
ginger and cardamom farmers in Kerala have taken to growing spices that are
used worldwide. Some of the spices cultivated in spice plantations are
vanilla, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, bay leaf and sage.
Take a trip to the spice plantations of Kerala and feel transported into a
green paradise. Walk through the aromatic spice gardens where the air is
laden with the fragrance of nature's bounty. Some spice plantations in
Kerala offer tourists accommodation in the lodges and mansions on the
plantation. Guest can stay with the plantations owner's family and enjoy
home cooked traditional Kerala cuisine and witness the activities of the
spice plantation. Go for nature walks and bird watching treks, wander
through the plantations, taste the various spices and breathe in the
fragrant air on Kerala tours of the spice plantations of Kerala with Kerala
Backwater. The tranquil spice plantations of Kerala are a refreshingly
different eco tourism option among Kerala tours.
»
