Before the long display of the beloved Kappa begins, there are artistic representations of traditional life, cows, farmers and green life. Little children toddling find it most fun to go and touch the cow’s replica at the entrance of the National Kappa (Tapioca) Festival going on at the Kanakakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram.
There is then a display of the various kinds of tapioca, with names marked below; Kottarakara Ommen reads one. Some of these come from Kottukunnam, a village near Venjaramoodu. The fest is put together by government agriculture agencies, the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute and various organisations representing farmers.
There are also a series of fruits before the food exhibition begins — it is supposed to have more than 101 varieties of food. Among them are the commonly seen tapioca snacks and Malayalis’ favourite kappa biryani. kappa rolls, halwa and soup are the other items on the menu. Organic kappa can also be bought at a stall. The fest ends today.
