Avial facts for kids
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| Alternative names | അവിയല് |
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| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | Southern India |
| Associated national cuisine | Indian |
| Main ingredients | Vegetables, Coconut, Curd |
Avial (pronounced ah-vee-yal) is a yummy Indian dish that comes from the Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Udupi regions of India. It's like a thick stew made with lots of different vegetables, especially those found in the Western Ghats mountains. This dish is flavored with coconut, coconut oil, and curry leaves.
People in South India eat Avial as an important part of their main meals. It's also served as a special treat! Some places, like Central Travancore, make Avial with a thinner sauce, but usually, it's quite thick.
What's in Avial?
Avial is usually made with crisp vegetables. Some common vegetables used are elephant foot yam, plantain (like a cooking banana), ash melon (also called wax gourd), carrots, beans, brinjal (eggplant), cucumber, drumstick pods, snake gourd, and broad bean.
In the Kozhikode region, some Avial recipes even include bitter gourd. In the Kollam region, people might add tomatoes. Sometimes, instead of curd (like yogurt), people use raw mango or tamarind pulp to make it a bit sour. Avial can be a saucy dish or a thicker side dish. It's usually eaten with rice. The word "avial" can also mean 'boiled' or 'cooked in water', which describes how the dish is made.
The Story of Avial
There are some fun stories about how Avial might have been invented!
Bhima's Invention
One popular story says that the warrior Bhima invented Avial. Bhima was one of the Pandavas from the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. During a time when he was in hiding, he worked as a cook for King Virata. The legend says that Bhima didn't know much about cooking. So, he chopped up many different vegetables, boiled them all together, and then added grated coconut on top. That's how Avial was born!
Another version of this story says that King Virata had unexpected guests. Bhima needed to make a lot of food quickly, but there weren't enough vegetables for any single dish. So, he used all the vegetables he could find to create this new mixed dish, which became Avial.
A Feast and a New Dish
Another old story comes from the Kingdom of Travancore in Kerala. The king was holding a huge feast, and everyone in the kingdom came to eat. There wasn't enough curry for everyone. The king visited the kitchen and saw that many vegetable peels were being wasted. He told the cook to use these peels and other ingredients to make a new curry. This new dish was Avial! The king also ordered that Avial be served first at the feast, and it's still often the first dish served at traditional Sadhya meals today.
See also
In Spanish: Avial para niños
