Feast
VegOnam Sadya
സദ്യ
A banana-leaf feast of more than 20 dishes — avial, thoran, olan, sambar, pachadi and pappadam, finished with sweet payasam.
Across Kerala, best at festivals and temple towns
Kerala delicacies
A taste of God's Own Country
Coconut, curry leaves, spice and the catch of the day — the dishes worth planning a trip around.
What to eat
Dishes you shouldn't leave without trying
From banana-leaf feasts to roadside fritters, here's what to order and where it tastes best.
Seafood
Karimeen Pollichathu
കരിമീൻ പൊള്ളിച്ചത്
Pearl spot fish marinated in spice, wrapped in banana leaf and pan-roasted — the signature taste of the backwaters.
Alappuzha & Kumarakom backwaters
Breakfast
VegAppam & Stew
അപ്പം
Lacy, soft-centred rice hoppers with a mild coconut-milk stew of vegetables, chicken or mutton.
Kochi & Central Kerala homes
Snacks & Sweets
VegPazham Pori & Chai
പഴംപൊരി
Ripe banana fritters in a crisp golden batter, the classic 4 pm tea-time snack.
Every roadside tea stall
Breakfast
VegPuttu & Kadala Curry
പുട്ട്
Steamed rice-and-coconut cylinders served with a black chickpea curry, or with banana and pappadam.
Everywhere, especially Munnar mornings
Curries
Kerala Fish Curry
മീൻ കറി
Tangy red curry soured with kudampuli (Malabar tamarind), cooked in clay pots and better the next day.
Coastal Kochi & Kollam
Feast
Malabar Biryani
ബിരിയാണി
Fragrant short-grain kaima rice layered with spiced chicken, fried onions, cashews and ghee.
Kozhikode & North Kerala
Curries
Beef Fry & Porotta
പൊറോട്ട
Flaky layered porotta with dry-roasted beef, coconut slivers and curry leaves — a Kerala favourite.
Toddy shops & late-night eateries
Seafood
Prawn Moilee
ചെമ്മീൻ
Prawns simmered in a gentle turmeric and coconut-milk gravy with green chilli and ginger.
Fort Kochi & houseboat kitchens
Breakfast
VegIdiyappam
ഇടിയപ്പം
Delicate steamed string hoppers, eaten with egg roast, stew or sweetened coconut milk.
Homestays across Kerala
Snacks & Sweets
VegUnniyappam
ഉണ്ണിയപ്പം
Little sweet dumplings of rice, jaggery, banana and coconut fried in ghee.
Temple festivals & bakeries
Snacks & Sweets
VegPalada Payasam
പായസം
Slow-cooked rice flakes in sweetened milk until pink and creamy — Kerala's favourite dessert.
The finale of every sadya
Food experiences
Eat like a local
Houseboat kitchen lunches
Fresh karimeen, rice and curries cooked on board as you drift through the backwaters.
Toddy shop visits
Spicy fish, tapioca and duck roast at a village toddy shop, with someone who knows the good ones.
Home cooking class
Learn a fish curry or sadya dishes with a local family in Kumarakom or Fort Kochi.
Spice plantation tour
See cardamom, pepper and cinnamon growing in Thekkady, and take some home.