cuisine
For the past 600 years, Kochi has catered to many vistors from around the world including Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, Russians and Japanese. This has made the city a melting pot of various cultures, and this diversity is evident in the cuisine.
Being a coastal city, plenty of fresh seafood is the local speciality. With the backwaters, freshwater fish is also popular here. Prawns, squids and shrimps are easily available and cooked in many styles. The most famous of Kochi's specialty dishes is Meen Molagitta Curry smoked freshwater fish with chilly and coconut milk. The English popularized smoked fish with steamed bread and mashed potatoes. One of Kochi's traditional vegetarian specialties is Kurukku Kalan a thick yogurt curry with toasted banana and hot rice. Packed Kurukku Kalan as well as Palada a sweet dessert with rice flakes and milk are sold in many supermarkets and food stalls, especially during festive times.
At Fort Kochi beach you can buy fresh fish and have it cooked at the nearby food stalls. Fishmongers will sell you a kilo of tiger prawns for around Rs 300 and a kilo of squid for around Rs 250. Food stalls will charge you Rs 40-50 per person to cook your fish grilled, curry, whatever and provide you with a serve of chips and salad. Conditions are reasonably hygienic.
Fried fish, Fish molly a coconut milk sauce based curry almost like stew, Alleppey fish curry traditional curry with tomato sauce and fish tamarind and Fish Peera chunks of fish toasted with grated coconuts with fish tamarind sauce, Varatharacha Kozhi curry semi-fried chicken toasted with coconut and chilly are the favorites, usually taken with rice or steamed tapioca cassava. Also worth trying are the traditional rice based breakfast snacks, puttu and kadala, appam and stew.
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a typical meal for one, including soft drink: | |
| Budget | Under Rs 50 |
| Mid-range | Rs 50-300 |
| Splurge | Over Rs 300 |
