Onam Sadya has gained popularity as a culinary ensemble that is a hallmark of the Onam festival. It has a photogenic appeal and is served during various religious ceremonies and wedding celebrations. What was once essentially a restaurant phenomenon in South Indian cities like Chennai and Bengaluru is now gradually becoming a global phenomenon.
Usually, the Kerala Sadya is an elaborate meal with at least 20 different dishes and is almost always a vegetarian affair served for lunch. Now, a restaurant has created their version of Onam Sadya and it has shocked many food enthusiasts. A video of the same was shared by an Instagram account Food Porn and shows "a celebration of flavours".
The short clip showcases each component of the dish served by different servers at the restaurant. The reworked dish includes papadam, cream rice, mango pickle, payasam and grilled pineapple served with tomato broth tempered in southern spices. Heena, the host at Tresind Studio, presents the dish, which she describes as a combination of cuisine and art, with exquisite flair. Every component, ranging from the seasoned stone garnish to the marinated pineapple, has been thoughtfully chosen to showcase an array of flavours, according to her.
"This is the viral dish you may have seen on your feed lately called the "onam sadya" from @tresindstudio in Dubai. It is a performance of food and art, so we thought we'd go and experience it for ourselves. The dish is a celebration of flavors, and is served by each member of the restaurant as follows: grilled pineapple marinated in Indian spices, cream of rice, payasam (condensed milk), mango pickle, banana vinegar, cuddapah almonds, second press of coconut ice cream, grated sugar spiced stone (taken directly from the pot plant sitting on the table!), mela blossom flower, papadam, tomato broth tempered in southern spices"
The Instagram account said, "Tresind Studio is one of the best restaurants we've ever been to, and this was one of the standout dishes." Notably, the restaurant has not mentioned the price of the dish available on their website menu. However, many on the internet are criticising the restaurant for the small portions and for changing the authenticity of the special dish.
"I'm from where this onam sadhya originated and idk wt* this is," said a user.
Another added, "As a professional onam celebrator from the official onam land, ithenth myr THIS IS NOT ONAM SADHYA."
A person wrote, "As a malayalee - this makes me cry- but not tears of joy"
"The absolute atrocity and insult that this is to onam sadya cannot be articulated politely. On top of all that, "Cuddapah almonds" or any almonds for that matter has never ever made an appearance in the history of sadya," commented a user.
"Cut it into bite size pieces.. the whole thing is a bite size piece," added a person.
"If you really want to know how an Onam sadya looks like just search online you'll find. This dish has nothing to do with onam sadya except for the pappadam maybe," wrote an Instafram user.
Another user said, "Y'all should stop doing extravagant gourmet shit to meals that are meant to celebrate plentifulness and harmony among common folk."
