The building blocks
Almost every Kerala dish draws on the same short list of ingredients: rice, coconut in every form, fish and seafood, curry leaves, shallots, green and red chillies, ginger, black pepper and tamarind. Coconut is grated, ground into pastes, pressed into milk, roasted until dark, and its oil is the main cooking fat. A souring agent called kudampuli, or Malabar tamarind, gives fish curries their sharp, smoky depth.
The spices that made the Malabar coast famous are part of daily cooking: black pepper, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. What makes Kerala food distinctive, though, is how its communities used them differently. A Hindu vegetarian sadya, a Syrian Christian duck roast, a Mappila biryani and a Kochi Jewish fish dish all come from the same kitchen garden, yet taste quite unlike each other.
Rice is eaten at almost every meal, often the fat, reddish matta rice of Kerala, which is parboiled and has a nutty flavour.
Breakfast, Kerala style
Kerala breakfasts are one of the pleasures of a stay, and the best hotels serve them well. Appam is a bowl-shaped pancake of fermented rice batter and coconut, crisp at the lacy edges and soft in the middle, usually eaten with a mild stew of vegetables, chicken or mutton in coconut milk. Puttu is steamed cylinders of ground rice and grated coconut, eaten with kadala curry, a dark black-chickpea curry, and a banana.
Idiyappam, or string hoppers, are nests of steamed rice noodles served with egg curry or coconut milk. Dosa and idli, shared with the rest of South India, are everywhere, as is pazham pori, banana fritters, at tea time. A small cup of strong, sweet tea or coffee completes the meal.
The sadya
The sadya is Kerala's great vegetarian feast, served on a banana leaf at Onam, weddings and temple festivals. It can include more than 20 dishes, placed in a fixed order, starting at the top left of the leaf with salt, banana chips and pickles, and moving to the main curries and rice. You eat with your right hand, mixing each dish with rice in turn.
Key dishes include parippu, lentils with ghee; sambar, a tamarind and vegetable stew; avial, mixed vegetables in coconut and yoghurt; olan, ash gourd and cowpeas in coconut milk; thoran, a dry stir-fry with grated coconut; kaalan, a thick yoghurt curry; and pachadi and kichadi, yoghurt-based sides. Several payasams, sweet puddings of rice, lentils or wheat in jaggery or milk, end the meal. Hotels serve sadya on Sundays and at Onam, but a sadya with a family is the real experience.
Community cuisines
Kerala's religious communities each developed their own cooking, and tasting them side by side is the best way to understand the state's history. The table gives a starting point.
| Community | Signature dishes | Where to try |
|---|---|---|
| Syrian Christian | Beef fry, duck roast, fish molee, appam and stew | Kochi, Kottayam, Kumarakom |
| Mappila Muslim | Thalassery biryani, pathiri, unnakaya, kallummakkaya | Kozhikode, Thalassery, Kannur |
| Hindu Nair and Brahmin | Sadya dishes, avial, olan, erissery, payasam | Temples, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Kochi Jewish | Fish with coconut and spices, pastels, chicken dishes for Shabbat | Fort Kochi and Mattancherry homes |
| Toddy shop | Karimeen pollichathu, kappa and fish curry, duck roast | Kumarakom, Kuttanad, Alappuzha |
Fish, backwaters and toddy shops
Kerala eats more fish than almost anywhere in India. On the coast, sardines, mackerel, seer fish, pomfret, prawns, squid and crab are caught daily and sold on the beach at dawn. The classic Kerala fish curry is red, sharp and hot, cooked in an earthenware pot with kudampuli, chilli and coconut oil, and tastes best a day after it is made. Fish molee, a gentle curry in coconut milk with turmeric and green chilli, is the mild alternative.
In the backwaters, the prized fish is karimeen, or pearl spot. Karimeen pollichathu, the fish marinated in a paste of chilli, shallots and ginger, wrapped in banana leaf and cooked on a hot pan, is Kerala's most famous fish dish. Kumarakom and the canals of Kuttanad are the best places to try it. Look also for prawn and crab roasts and for duck, raised in flocks that are herded through the harvested paddy.
A toddy shop, or kallu shappu, is a licensed bar selling toddy, a mildly alcoholic drink made from the fermented sap of the coconut palm flower. The food served alongside, intended to accompany the drink, is some of the most flavourful and spiciest in Kerala: kappa, boiled tapioca, with fish curry; fried and roasted fish; duck, beef and rabbit dishes; and fiery pickles.
Many toddy shops are rough places, but some in Kumarakom and Kuttanad are well run, set on the canals, and have family rooms separate from the bar. We take guests to these with a guide who orders well and adjusts the spice level. Tasting the toddy is optional; the food is the real reason to go.
Snacks, sweets and drinks
Kerala's tea shops and bakeries are full of snacks worth trying. Banana chips fried in coconut oil, sometimes coated in jaggery, are sold everywhere and travel well. Unniyappam are small sweet fritters of rice, banana and jaggery, cooked in a special pan with round moulds. Pazham pori, ripe plantain dipped in batter and fried, is the classic tea-time snack, and achappam, a crisp, lace-like rosette, is a Syrian Christian favourite at Christmas.
In Malabar, look for unnakaya, a dumpling of mashed plantain stuffed with sweetened egg and nuts, and kallummakkaya, mussels stuffed with spiced rice paste and fried. Halwa from Kozhikode, sold in bright colours by the slab, is another northern speciality.
To drink, tender coconut water cut fresh from the tree is the best cure for the heat. Sulaimani, a sweet black tea with lemon and spices, is popular in Malabar. Strong filter coffee and milky tea are drunk at all hours. In the backwater villages, fresh toddy is tapped twice a day, sweet in the morning and stronger by evening.
What to eat where
Each stop on a Kerala journey has its own specialities. Plan at least one meal in each place away from the hotel dining room, with a guide who knows where locals eat.
- Fort Kochi: Syrian Christian and Kochi Jewish home cooking, fresh fish from the nets, Anglo-Indian dishes at Brunton Boatyard
- Munnar and Thekkady: estate tea, cardamom-scented dishes, pepper chicken, home-made chocolate in Munnar
- Kumarakom and Alappuzha: karimeen pollichathu, duck roast, toddy-shop kappa and fish curry
- Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram: temple-style vegetarian food and the sadya
- Kozhikode, Thalassery and Kannur: Mappila biryani, pathiri, stuffed mussels and Malabar snacks
- Marari and the coast: the morning catch, grilled or curried at your resort
Practical tips
Kerala food can be spicy, but much of it is mild; coconut softens the heat, and kitchens are happy to adjust. Say kurachu erivu, meaning less spicy, or simply ask your guide. Vegetarians eat very well in Kerala, especially in Hindu restaurants and at sadyas. Eating with your right hand is normal, and restaurants provide a basin to wash before and after.
Drink bottled or filtered water, and be careful with raw salads and cut fruit from stalls. Food in busy, high-turnover places is generally safe. Kerala's dry days, when bars and liquor shops close, have varied over the years, so check current status before you travel if you plan to buy alcohol.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
What is the most famous food of Kerala?
The sadya, the vegetarian feast on a banana leaf, is the most celebrated meal. Among individual dishes, karimeen pollichathu, appam with stew, puttu and kadala curry, Kerala fish curry and Thalassery biryani are the best known. Each region and community has its own specialities.
Is Kerala food very spicy?
Some dishes are, especially toddy-shop curries, red fish curry and Syrian Christian roasts. Others, such as stew, olan, molee and appam, are mild. Coconut tempers much of the heat. Hotels and hosts adjust spice levels if asked, and your guide can order for you.
Is Kerala good for vegetarians?
Very good. Hindu Kerala cooking has a long vegetarian tradition, including the sadya with its many dishes, avial, olan, thoran, erissery and payasam, plus dosa, idli and appam. Most restaurants have extensive vegetarian menus. Tell your guide and hotels in advance.
What is karimeen pollichathu?
Pearl spot fish, called karimeen, marinated in a paste of red chilli, shallots, ginger and garlic, wrapped in banana leaf and pan-cooked until the leaf chars. It is Kerala's most famous fish dish and is best eaten at Kumarakom or in the backwaters of Kuttanad.
What is a toddy shop?
A licensed bar selling toddy, a mildly alcoholic drink made from coconut palm sap, along with spicy local food such as kappa and fish curry, karimeen and duck roast. Some well-run shops in Kumarakom and Kuttanad have family areas and are good places for lunch.
What should I eat for breakfast in Kerala?
Appam with vegetable or chicken stew, puttu with kadala curry and banana, idiyappam with egg curry, or dosa and idli with sambar and chutney. Banana fritters, called pazham pori, are popular at tea time. Most luxury hotels serve a full Kerala breakfast.
What is Malabar biryani?
The biryani of North Kerala, especially Thalassery and Kozhikode, made with kaima or jeerakasala, a small, fragrant short-grain rice, layered with chicken or mutton in Malabar spices, ghee, fried onions, cashews and raisins. It is more aromatic and less fiery than many northern biryanis.
Can I take a cooking class in Kerala?
Yes. Home cooking classes in Fort Kochi are popular, and many resorts, including those at Kumarakom, Thekkady and Marari, offer sessions with their chefs. We arrange classes with home cooks from different communities, often starting with a market visit. Classes end with lunch.
Is street food safe in Kerala?
Generally, if you choose busy places with fresh, hot food. Avoid raw salads, cut fruit and ice from street stalls, and drink bottled or filtered water. Kerala's hygiene standards are relatively high for India, and most visitors eat well without problems.
