The pachakam of Kerala is linked with the geography, demography, history and culture of the land. The cuisine has myriads of both non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. Coconut is an indispensable part of the pachakam of malayalees and in dishes for flavoring and thickening in the form of coconut cream, coconut milk, and coconut kernel. The side dishes are usually made from vegetables, fish, meat or a combination of all of them.

Kerala pachakam is always spicy and tasty. It has wide variety of breakfast recipes. Besides, since people of different countries continually visited the state over a period of 2000 years, cuisine is a beautiful blend of indigenous and foreign dishes well adapted to local tastes. The state is also known for its hot and warm desserts like payasam. Bananas also form an important part of the diet and pachakam of the malayalees.