Onam feast is evolving in tune with the Keralite’s palate

Onam feast may still be served on a banana leaf, but Keralam’s favourite festive lunch is no longer quite the same. From meat and fish in Malabar to new-age vegetarian dishes down south, the sadya, as it is popularly referred to, is changing with the times and getting costlier along the way.

A traditional sadya now costs anywhere from ₹250 to ₹1,500 a person at premium hotels, compared to ₹180 to ₹1,200 last year. Yet, the appetite for the feast remains strong, with more people placing orders for the festive spread.

The hike in prices of vegetables, other essentials, and LPG have made the feast more expensive to prepare. But Pazhayidom Mohanan Namboothiri, a popular chef from Central Travancore, sees another factor behind the rising cost: the standardisation of the feast. “Till recently, the dishes were mostly made with locally available produce such as yam and long beans. With the standardisation of the menu, local items have disappeared from it, pushing up the cost of the feast,” he says.

There is no single template for an Onam sadya across Kerala. In Malabar, meat and fish have traditionally found a place in some households. “We have been receiving requests for meat and fish dishes,” says Biju K.M., owner of a Kozhikode-based restaurant and catering service.

Beef sales go up

The changing palate is also reflected in meat sales. M.A. Salim, president of the Meat Industries Welfare Association, says beef sales have recorded a sharp rise during the 10-day Onam period in recent years. “Sales during this period have been comparable to those on a Sunday. This is a trend that has become evident only in the past few years,” he says.

Further south, the vegetarian sadya itself is acquiring new flavours. Sundar Kumar Sabari, a caterer in Kollam, says spicy dishes, particularly cauliflower and soya bean preparations, have become popular in recent years. He has also started receiving enquiries for meat dishes to accompany the traditional feast.

The bookings with caterers began early this month. Some of them, who once accepted orders from Atham onwards, are now limiting bookings to Uthradam and Thiruvonam, due to the high costs involved. Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur account for a large share of sadya orders, while Ernakulam leads in corporate bookings, they say.

The quality factor

While many see the ordered sadya as a convenient way to save time and effort, some wonder whether the practice robs the traditional feast of its authenticity. Lalithambika R., 65, from Kollam, says ordering the feast has been a boon for working women. “The days of spending hours in the kitchen preparing an elaborate Onam feast may be over. But in some cases, we can see a compromise in the quality and taste of food brought in from outside,” she said.

For Sheethal S. Nair, an assistant professor from Ernakulam, however, the convenience offered by catering services more than makes up for the expense. “Though the Onam feast is seen as a collective family affair, the preparation often falls largely on women. Catering services have been a saving grace, sparing us hours in the kitchen,” she said.

For some families though, the rising cost of a sadya has prompted a more fundamental rethink. Ernakulam native Arun G. Kumar says his family would rather spend more time celebrating.“Like everyone else, we too want to spend more time celebrating Onam than preparing the feast. But spending so much just for a full-scale sadya does not seem practical,” he says.