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Photo:S.Gopakumar

Fine combination Syrian Christian food is a mix of Portuguese influence, British flavour and Kerala tradition.

After a bit of a hunt for the right road that leads to Taj (they really ought to put up more signboards), with guidance from an auto rickshaw driver, we manage to navigate our way to the hotel.

The ambience at Curries, where a Syrian Christian food festival is being held, is Zen-like, with beautifully landscaped greenery. I feel all safe and cool from the sweltering summer heat as I step in.

Clay bowls on each table with dried pepper and cloves act as natural room fresheners. A long platter in a corner filled with dry red chillies makes me wonder if it is to scare away pesky lizards (as I think I have heard somewhere that lizards tend to stay away from red chillies, or was that crows?) or to lend flavour to the festival.

The waiter serves us some homemade spiced grape wine. It tastes, well, homely, and has a strong hint of cloves.

Then comes chilled glasses of elaneer vismayam; a mix of tender coconut water, tender coconut, mint leaves and honey. The bite of mint in the drink leaves us refreshed.

To start off our meal we are served vazhapoo cutlets. These breaded patties are served on a bed of onion and tomato salad. Crisp on the outside, the filling of banana flower, sweet potato and spices is moist and tasty.

Nadan chemmeen soup is a thick yet creamy curry-flavoured prawn soup (though we wondered where the prawns were). It reminds me of the Thai Tom Kha Goong soup which is spicy and similar in taste.

Fluffy appams are served hot from the stove with mildly spiced prawns moilee and fried beef. A serving of rice has us helping ourselves to kadachakka curry and meen pollichathum. As we are in a bit of rush to return to office, we turn down dessert – elaneer payasam.

Syrian Christian cuisine hails from Central Travancore. Says Sonu, executive chef, Taj Green Cove: “According to research, Syrian Christian food is a mix of Portuguese influence, British flavour and Kerala tradition. Thus, the food tends to be mild in spices and not too fiery on the taste buds.”

The Syrian Christian food festival at Taj offers three set meals for its customers – vegetarian, non-vegetarian and seafood.

Some of the dishes offered in the vegetarian package are idiyappam and vegetable mappas and appam and kizhangu vella curry.

Non-vegetarians are served kallappam with tharavu roast and appam and meen moilee while seafood lovers can dig into idiyappam and njandu masala and konju pollichathu to name a few. The food festival is on till May 4.

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