Everything you need to know about Onam Sadhya and related beliefs

It is basically a 9-course meal served on plantain leaves which includes dishes like Kaaya Varuthatha (banana chips), Chenna Varuthatha (yam cut into slices and fried with spices), Sarkara Upperi (jaggery coated banana chips), Pulinji (tamarind-based chutney), Kichadi (gourd in a yoghurt curry), Pachadi (pineapple or bitter gourd in yoghurt), Olan (ash gourd with beans in a thick coconut milk gravy), Theeyal (mixed vegetable gravy), Avial (vegetables made with coconut and milk), Sambar, Rasam, Choru (boiled rice) buttermilk and papad.

For Sadhya, food is served on a banana leaf. According to experts, banana leaf is packed with a natural antioxidant called polyphenols. It is believed that when warm food is served on the leaf, the antioxidant is absorbed in the food, which provides all necessary benefits. The leaf is also rich in antibacterial properties, vitamin A, calcium, and carotene. The traditional belief says that the leaf should be folded and closed once the meal is finished. In some customs, closing the leaf towards you communicates satisfaction with the meal. While folding it symbolises that the meal needs improvement.

Generally, the nine-course meal has vegetarian dishes, but with the change in time, the menu has gone through some changes too. It largely depends on the place and religion. In the northern part of Kerala, they also serve non-vegetarian dishes in the sadhya.

Sadhya is meant to be relished with hands. Apart from the health benefits, the Vedas believe that the practice helps the fingertips to connect with heart, third eye, solar plexus, throat, sexual and root chakras. And when we eat with hands, the motion and touch activates the charkas and benefits us in every possible way.

The traditional feast ends with a dessert called Payasam (a sweet dish made of milk, sugar and jaggery). It is considered as a sign of prosperity and experts feel that it works as a catalyst that aids digestion.