Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the people of Kerala. There are numerous customs, rituals and traditions for which Onam is known for. However, the most striking of them is Onasadya (Onam feast) which is eaten on a plantain leaf. What makes Onasadya mesmerizing is that it has 10-15 delicious and traditional curries with payasam (dessert) and crispy banana chips, with the entire family having the sumptuous lunch together. Onasadya is not only about eating but also the way of doing it as a definite pattern is followed to keep the plantain leaf and to serve each dish. Usually, the serving of dishes starts from the left with 'Upperies' (deep-fried dishes). This is followed by delicious dishes with rice served on the center of the plantain leaf. Delicious side dishes such as 'Pappadam' (crispy flour cakes) and pickles are served and with payasam served at the end. In some places, Plantain fruits are also served.
There are umpteen recipes associated with Onam. While the main course of meal is rice, the most popular and delectable gravies that are served are 'Avial', Kalan Sambhar and desserts such as dry fruit kesari, Palada pradhaman. While Avial is a mixed vegetable recipe which is tasty as well as fulfilling and is served as a side dish along with rice, Kalan is a thick gravy dish of Kerala made of yam or raw banana and mashed yogurt. Sambhar is a traditional dish which is made of dal and vegetables such as pumpkin, cucumber and drumstick, dry fruit kesari is a dessert made of rava, sugar and khee and Palada pradhaman is a traditional Kerala dessert made of condensed milk and cooked rice flakes. The above mentioned are a few of the umpteen dishes as they are plenty of others such as Erissery, Pulissery Koottu Curry, and palpradhaman.