Kochi Food Crawl

Overview

Kochi’s strategic coastal location as a major seaport from ancient times has also driven its food culture. The lure of the spice trade brought many traders from across the seas and from the land as well for this exotic culinary ingredient. Pepper, the ‘black gold’ was worth its price in gold. Some traders even decided to settle here for good. The Mattancherry and Fort Kochi area in Kochi is home to 39 distinct communities that speak 17 languages; so the humongous variety of its culinary offerings has to be sampled to understand the cultural diversity of this port town. Accompanied by a local we will explore markets, places of worship, alleyways to do just that.

Why you will love it

• Following the stories of the coconut and its role in Kerala's cultural heritage
• For the delicious tastings of the local food in this old spice trading cityThe connection between Kochi’s art scene and cafes

What you will experience

Our culinary journey begins with a leisurely stroll down Palace Road, taking in the sights and stopping to enjoy some tender coconut at a vendor. While sipping on this cool and healthy natural drink we will learn about the amazing diversity of the uses of the coconut in the local culinary traditions and Kochi's architectural heritage. We will also discover the ubiquitous coconut shell is used to make artifacts and its rough fibre the stuffing of mattresses. Our steps then lead us to the local market where our senses are assaulted by the riot of colour of the produce on sale and the brisk interactions between vendors and customers. The kitchen is still our focus as we turn to explore the working of an oil factory and flour mill. At a restaurant owned by members of a trading community that migrated to Kochi, we will tuck into some delicious dosas; but for dessert, we will wind or way to the popular local sweet shop and discover what awesome wares pamper to the sweet tooth of Kerala. Moving on from iconic café, famed for its local delicacies, we will head for an art café, sequestered in an old spice warehouse; amongst the aromatic atmospherics of this location, we will uncover the story of Kochi's art has inspired the burgeoning cafe scene.