Sadya with a 101 Banana Side Dishes and Sweets

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
What’s a Malayali festival without a sadya? The Kerala traditional feast is, indeed, the most vital ingredient in every event that happens in the state. The National Banana Festival 2018 is no exception. However, the traditional feast on display at the exhibition venue is unique for the fact that all items served on the plantain leaf are made of various parts of banana!
From the raw banana, ripe banana, banana trunk to the banana flower, every part of the banana plant has been made use of in preparing various dishes that are part of the traditional sadya. Also significant is the fact that the dishes number 101 in total.
The chef, Rafeek who hails from Parassala, is behind the 101 special banana sadya that has been luring visitors by the hundreds. Apart from 18 side dishes, the sadya includes more than 50 snacks and sweets. Besides, payasams made of a variety of plantain fruit and raw bananas complete the list.
So if you are keen on tasting the unique raw banana pulissery, or the erissery and the wide variety of banana-based pickles, sweets and delicious payasam, all you need to do is to head for the Vellayani temple ground where the National Banana Festival 2018 is currently on.