Kerala is not all about hill stations and coconut groves. This ravishing South Indian state is also home to delectable flavours. Kerala has a wonderful unique cuisine that is bound by rich flavours using the simplest ingredients. Every Keralite dish is a story of a perfect marriage of ingredients, producing magical flavours. Lately, the word has spread and there are a lot of foodies swarming into this slender state known for its natural charm. This trend hasn’t been gone unnoticed by the government and travel organizations of Kerala. Travel planners like Gogeo Holidays have started including food trips as part of their tour packages to Kerala. A foodie can’t miss a place with so many varieties of food. Well, if you are going to embark on such a journey, do make sure you stop at the three K’s of Kerala.

Kozhikode – The Food Capital of Kerala

The moment, a native of Kerala hears the name ‘Kozhikode’, he immediately thinks of food. Scrumptious varieties of dishes are offered in every hotels, house and even in kiosks. In fact, we can say that Kozhikode has a cuisine of its own. Travellers who’ve visited Kerala states in their accounts that no place in the state serves food as delicious as Kozhikode. Also called Calicut, the city is situated in the Malabar Coast of Kerala and history has it that the great explorer Vasco Da Gama first set his foot on Kozhikode in Kappad Beach. This is one of the factors that has made Kozhikode a renowned destination in Kerala. But it is the food of this spot that is luring in thousands of visitors every single year. Every junction and every alleyway of Kozhikode carries the aroma of good food. A keen Indian traveller is sure to have heard of the famous ‘Kozhikode Halwa’. This sweetmeat has conquered millions of hearts. You can see stacks of halwas gathered in sweet shops of SN street and it is indeed a colourful sight to see. You can’t help but click pictures of the ‘colourful mess’. The halwas are available in different flavours ranging from the classic black halwa to jackfruit halwa. The SN street of Kozhikode is arguably the busiest street in the city. The locals call this street as the ‘Mittai Therivu’, which actually means sweet meat street. This street is a ‘gastronomical heaven and a paradise for foodies. From sweetmeats to spicy snacks, all sorts of food are available in this street to satiate your hunger pangs. Well, if you are thinking that the food must quite be pricey, then you are wrong. You find the finest food made from handpicked ingredients at the most reasonable prices here. Choose Cheapest Kerala tour packages and take a gastronomical tour through the streets of Kozhikode and hog on mouth-watering delicacies that it offers.

Kannur – The Land of the Flavorsome Thalasserry Biriyani

Kannur also a coastal city situated in Kerala, offers terrific dishes for your taste buds to enjoy. The most popular dish of Kannur is the Thallaserry Biriyani. This Biriyani is considered to be the best in Kerala. The rice found in Thalessery Biriyani is not the regular long rice used in Biriyanis. The rice is much shorter and is called khaima rice. Though smaller, the rice tastes equally good adding its own unique flavor to the biriyani. The meat is marinated for a few hours by a special masala mix used only for Thalaserry Biriyani. The meat is partially cooked after which the rice is added. The mixture is cooked until the meat is tender and the rice is cooked. During the mentioned process, the lid of the Biriyani container is sealed so that the masala marries properly with the meat and rice. This process is called Dum. The final product, the Thalaserry Biriyani is finger-licking good. You shouldn’t be surprised if you have to stand in a long queue to grab your biriyani parcel. It is not just the tourists who are behind this delicacy but the natives too. They love their biriyani. But let’s not think that the greatness of Kannur’s cuisine is centred around the biriyani alone. The ‘bakery culture’s of Kerala was first started in Thalaserry by Mambally Bapu in 1880. A few years later in 1883, the much loved ‘western cakes’ of Kerala were introduced in the same area. Today, bakeries selling cakes are seen all over Kerala yet people come in search of the taste offered by cakes in Thalaserry. The confectioneries prepared in the bakeries of Thalaserry have their own unique taste and the locals here guarantee you won’t be able to find the flavours of Thalaserry anywhere else in the world.

Kochi – Where Food meets Culture

Kochi is one of the busiest cities and ports in Kerala. It is a growing cosmopolitan hub in the country. Kochi has a unique food culture. Kochi was also colonized and was ruled by the French, Portuguese and the British. The influence of the colonial rulers can be seen in the culture of the natives as well. Even the food in Kochi is influenced by colonial cultures. It is in Kochi that all sorts of cuisines are available for you to savour. Especially in regions like Thoppumpady and Mattancherry, a variety of cuisines can be encountered. There are a number of cafes serving continental food in Kochi. These are mainly focused on foreigners who like to taste a bit of their home away from home. One can also see several restaurants that serve authentic French and Portuguese dishes as well. Another striking factor about the food culture of Kochi is their love for North Indian Food. A lot of North Indians have been settling in Kochi since ages and their food has influenced the natives as well. When in Kochi you will observe that the streets are lined with stalls selling pani puris, pav bhajis, sev puris, dahi puris, parathas, dhoklas and other varieties of delectable North Indian dishes. Kochi also holds many popular fast foods chains like McDonald’s, Mary Browns, Burger King, Dominos, Pizza Hut and a lot more. Kochi is the ultimate spot for fast food lovers. It is also a place where you get authentic traditional or ‘naadan’ dishes at the cheapest prices. After 6 you can see people gathered around small kiosks called ‘thattukadas’. The locals love these little shops that serve the tastiest food at reasonable prices. If you want to know the actual taste of the local favourites like porotta-beef, thattu dosa-chutney, omelette etc. you ought to head to these stalls.