God’s own Kerala : This state is truly obsessed with beef fry

Kochi, July 19: If you want to associate beef with an Indian state, then it has to ‘Kerala’. It’s the only southern state in the country which loves beef as much as no other state does.

Simply scrumptious delicacy is cooked with coconut being the prominent ingredient along with other authentic Kerala spices including cinnamon, roasted chilly and cloves.

The other Kerala dish playing the same role as that of beef for those of vegetarians is Tapioca and fish curry which is an indigenous as beef fry in the state for non-vegetarians.

Coming back to beef fry which is known as the nadan dish (special dish of the country). It is one of the highlights in the menus of all restaurants which serve non-veg food. Majorly Beef fry is served with famous bread called Kerala Parotta which is flat bread made of all purpose flour that comes out crispy after it is cooked and is served hot with coconut flavored meat curries.

‘’While Kerala’s large Christian and Muslim populations eat beef, quite a few from other religions do that too. But, originally, Kerala beef fry is a Nasrani or a Syrian Christian invention. There is a saying in parts of Kerala, which when roughly translated into English, means, “A Nasrani meal is not complete without beef fry.” Nasranis are proud of their origins. Their ancestors were converted by St. Thomas, one of the 12 original disciples of Jesus Christ, who arrived in Kerala soon after the crucifixion 2000 years ago. The Nasranis are justifiably proud that they were Christians before most of Europe even knew the name of Christ. And, for them, eating beef is probably a 2000-year-old custom’’, reports Firstpost.

Kerala is the land of spices, having said that few famous spices are pepper, red and green chilli. Beef is stirred and fried on low flame for hours in all these spices. Through this process, the meat leaves out all the moisture and starts turning its colour. While the meat is served, the aroma of all spices cooked in coconut oil elevates the experience.

Kerala beef fry has found its way into restaurants and specialty Kerala messes in other cities including tiny road shops which are known as ‘tatta kada’. The love for beef has made the dish an intrinsic part of the Kerala’s identity.