Kerala cooking is built on coconut, curry leaves, black pepper, cardamom, tamarind and fresh fish, and it is one of the great regional cuisines of India. The state sits on the old spice coast, so flavours have come in from Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, Jewish and Syrian Christian kitchens as well as from Hindu and Muslim home cooking. The result is a table that looks different in Kochi, in the backwaters and in the hills, and eating well is as good a reason to visit as any sight on the map.
Breakfast
The classic Kerala breakfasts are appam with vegetable or egg stew, puttu with kadala curry, and dosa or idiyappam with a coconut-based curry. Appam are lacy rice pancakes with a soft centre, best eaten fresh and dunked in a mild stew. Puttu is steamed rice flour layered with coconut, served with a spiced black chickpea curry. Most hotels serve a version, and a simple local cafe will serve it for a very modest price. Tea or filter coffee comes strong and sweet unless you ask otherwise.
The sadya and the thali
The sadya is the traditional vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf, with rice, sambar, rasam, avial, thoran, pickles, banana chips, pappadam and payasam to finish. It is most associated with Onam and weddings, and many restaurants serve a version at lunch, especially on festival days. Eat with your right hand, and when you have finished, fold the leaf toward you, which is traditionally a sign that you enjoyed the meal. If you want a simpler lunch, order a Kerala meals plate, which comes with rice, curries, fish or vegetables and as many top-ups as you can manage.
Seafood and the backwaters
On the coast and in the backwaters, fish is central. Karimeen, the pearl spot, is a local favourite and often served marinated, wrapped in a banana leaf and fried or grilled, known as karimeen pollichathu. Kottayam-style fish curry uses kodampuli, a sour fruit that gives the sauce a deep tang, and prawns, squid and crab turn up in rich coconut gravies. A houseboat cruise is the easiest place to taste backwater fish, because the crew cooks local meals on board, and houseboat stays generally centre on meals cooked by the crew. Ask about vegetarian options if you need them, and confirm in advance how the crew handles allergies.
Kochi street food and the food walk
Fort Kochi is the best place to try the range in a short time. A guided evening food walk covers snacks, seafood, parotta with curry, sweets and local tea, and the guide can explain what you are eating. It also solves the problem of where to eat safely, since your guide knows busy stalls with high turnover. Choose places that are crowded with locals, drink bottled or filtered water, and avoid raw salads and cut fruit that has been sitting out if you have a sensitive stomach.
Malabar and Syrian Christian specialities
In northern Kerala the cooking is Malabari, with its famous biryani, fish curries and seafood snacks. Syrian Christian kitchens use pepper, coconut and meat in dishes such as beef fry and duck roast, while Hindu kitchens lean to vegetarian meals with plenty of coconut. If you can, eat once in a family-run home or a heritage hotel kitchen, since those meals often show the cooking at its best. Heritage resorts such as Spice Village and Coconut Lagoon are good places to ask for a local menu.
Spices and tea
Around Thekkady the hills are covered in spice gardens growing cardamom, pepper, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla, and a short garden walk shows how each spice grows. Spice shops in Mattancherry sell packets for taking home, so buy from busy, reputable stalls and check seals. In Munnar the tea trail walk with a factory visit shows how leaves are withered, rolled and dried, and the hills are the place for a fresh cup with a view. Cardamom and tea are both easy gifts to pack.
Drinks and alcohol
Tender coconut water is sold everywhere and is the best way to cool down. Toddy, the fermented sap of the coconut palm, is served in toddy shops with spicy fish and meat snacks, and it is a local experience, though quality varies and some visitors prefer to try it with a guide. Alcohol in Kerala is sold through state outlets and licensed bars and hotels, and there are dry days, traditionally on the first of the month and on certain festival dates, so ask your hotel about the rules for your dates.
Practical tips
Eat the food, but pace yourself. Begin with mild dishes, carry stomach remedies, and drink only bottled or filtered water. Vegetarian and vegan food is easy to find, and fish is the safest meat choice on the coast. Try one meal on a banana leaf, one on a houseboat and one on a food walk, and you will have seen the best of Kerala at the table.
