Paachakam: Heritage Cuisine of Kerala
Author: Sabita Radhakrishna
Client: Roli Books
A set of digital illustrations I worked on for a cookbook that offers authentic insights into Kerala's most popular recipes by delving into the various communities of the region and the diverse recipes, customs, ingredients and techniques.
The idea was to highlight the diverse ingredients and landscapes of Kerala, as well as some unique cultural nuances of the locals and their relationship with their natural environment.
Above: A food garden in Kerala, verdant with various fruit-bearing trees and edible plants.
Above: A familiar sight in Kerala, a boy takes shelter from the rain under a large and obliging banana leaf.
Above: Picking ripe peppercorns. Native to the Malabar Coast and prolifically used in the local cuisine, black pepper is widely cultivated across Kerala, especially in Idukki and Wayanad districts, for domestic consumption and export.
Above: A mahout bathes his elephant on the riverbank at the crack of dawn.
Above: The Kerala backwaters are teeming with underwater life, including favourites like Pearl-spot and freshwater prawns. They are also the setting for the annual traditional canoe races known as Vallamkali, which take place in spring during Onam, the harvest festival.
Above: A coconut picker deftly climbs the tall trunk using a harness wrapped around his feet. A vital cash crop, coconut has always been grown abundantly in Kerala and the trees are considered sacred, as every part of the tree is useful - the wood, fruit, shell, oil, leaves, coir, fibres etc. Indeed, coconut is considered a part of the local identity - be it in the economy, cuisine, folklore or the landscape.
Above: The opening and closing endpapers give a nod to the practice of closing one's banana leaf towards oneself after a satisfying Sadhya.
