Cuisines of Kerala Like the unique cultural and natural heritage of the state, the cuisines of Kerala are also unique, special, and matchless. The cuisines of Kerala reflect the culinary expertise of the people. Generally, the Kerala cuisines are hot and spicy, fresh, aromatic, and flavored. Since Kerala is a rice producing state, Keralites thrive mostly on fish and rice. Some of the most commonly used ingredients in Kerala traditional food are coconut, chilly, curry leaf, mustard seed, tamarind, and asafetida. Thus, the traditional Keralite dishes are a result of the mix of the local Kerala produce and the traditional expertise, with coconut and bananas being an inseparable part of the delicacies.