KERALA
Cuisine
THE GURU: CHEF VELU MURUGAN
K
e rala’s long coastline, numerous rivers and backwater
networks have spawned a thriving fishing industry,
making seafood a statewide favourite. Together with
spices and the lavish use of coconut, Kerala is home to
some incredible delicacies.
CULTURAL INFLUENCE: The spice trade between Kerala and rest
of the world made its ports one of the busiest on the globe. As a
bonus, Kerala cuisine acquired the flavours of Europe and Arab
countries whose traders often visited the coastal state.
Arab traders frequently came to the port city of Kozhikode
(Calicut). Their influence on the cuisine of Kerala’s Muslim Moplah
community has endured to this day. Typical Moplah cooking
blends Arabian, North Indian and indigenous Malabari flavours.
Thalassery biryani, a traditional Moplah dish, is reminiscent of the
Mughal-Arab cultural influence in North Kerala due