Emirates is celebrating the beginning of the Malayalam calendar with a burst of flavours, making it even more special for Keralites.

From September 1 to 13, the airline will serve authentic Onam dishes across all cabin classes on all its flights to and from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Emirates’ chefs and catering teams have curated delicious festive menus with the distinctive flavours of the season that remain true to the taste buds even at 40,000ft.

Enjoy traditional appetisers such as kaya varuthathu or crisp banana chips, sharkara upperi, banana roasted in jaggery, and kondatta mulaku —fried sundried chillies steeped in yoghurt. Dips include kaalan made of coconut, fresh yoghurt and yam, cucumber pachadi, a garnished salad, and puli inji, a sweet and tangy ginger-based chutney. First and Business Class passengers will also be served Kerala-style pappadam and piquant mango pickle.

Those travelling from Dubai to Kerala in Economy Class can relish one of two main courses: Alleppey chicken curry or sambar and kootu, both paired with thoran and rice. Tickle your taste buds with the palada payasam – a much-loved milky sweet pudding with roasted nuts. First Class customers have one more main course option: mutton pepper fry.

If you’re flying from Kerala to Dubai in Economy, you can choose from two main courses: spiced chicken sukha with roasted coconut or the vegetarian option sambar made of lentils and vegetables, both partnered with thoran and rice. Indulge your sweet tooth with parippu payasam, the popular sweet lentil pudding topped with roasted coconut flakes. First Class customers can also opt for mutton sukha as the main course.

Staying true to the festive season, all meals will be served on banana leaves placed in trays and dish liners across all cabins to make Keralites feel more at home and the sadhya more authentic.

The airline also offers a selection of popular Malayalam movies and music on ice – the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system with 4,000 channels – and passengers can enjoy up to 20MB of complimentary wi-fi to stay connected with friends and family during the flight.

Emirates flies twice daily to Kochi and 11 times weekly to Thiruvananthapuram. - TradeArabia News Service