Kannur, a small fisherman district in the northern part of Kerala, is known for its beaches and backwaters. But if you ask me about my trip to Kannur, that’s not the best part I would say. My mind conjures up images of the mouth-watering delicacies I had in those measly two days. As I had a roommate from Kerala for three years, I was of the thought that I had tasted all the best foods of Kerala. This was until I visited North Kerala.

Trust me! Food in North Kerala is totally different from any other Kerala food. Thanks to the influence of Moplah (Muslim) community. They added a touch of their own to give usual food a twist. 

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North Kerala has been in my bucket list just for Thalasserry Biryani. I was happy that it did surprise us with its food variety. 

Thalassery Chicken Biryani
Thalassery biryani has been on my bucket list for quite a long time. So when I am finally on a trip to North Kerala, how can I afford to miss it?

Paris Restaurant(old) had been reviewed by so many travelers that we decided to go there. As we sat down to order, we noticed that there weren’t as much crowd as we expected. The biryani at Paris restaurant wasn’t up to our expectations. Salt and spice content were less.

After this disastrous experience, while discussing with our homestay caretaker, he also mentioned that they aren’t making Biryani as good as old times.

Next day, we went on to have Biryani from Hotel MVK, Kannur. It was better than what we had in Thalassery, but not the best. Hunt for the best Thalassery biryani will continue in the next trips too!(Wink!)

Restaurant – Paris (Old), Hotel MVK

Chemeen unda
Chemeen unda is one of the most favorite snacks of my Kannur trip. Masala Prawn stuffing filled inside rice ball? Well! How can I resist such a dish?

I remembered asking every small shop we went in Thalaserry and Kannur about Chemeen unda. I was heartbroken to leave Kannur without tasting it. When I finally saw it in MRA restaurant outside railway station, I was full on drooling that I ordered to taste it. It was tasting so good that I have plans to try it in home too.

Restaurant – MRA restaurant outside railway station

Arikkaduka or Malabar style Kallumakkaya Nirachathu
Thalassery, a town along the Malabar coast, is one of the top three producers of mussels in North Kerala. Being a Mussels’ paradise, how can I leave without tasting a dish involving mussels. That’s how I landed myself in a tea stall, eating the scrumptious snack of North Kerala.

Arikkadukka is made by steaming the mussels shell filled with crushed rice & spice mix and then removing the stuffing along with mussel flesh to fry it in a spicy paste. It is so an integral part of Malabar region that Kerala tourism has the recipe of Arikkadukka in their website.

Restaurant – Shabna tea stall in Thalassery bus stand

Thalassery style Sardine fish
Being along the Malabar coast, sea foods are the staple foods of North Kerala. We tasted sardine fish fry in Paris restaurant. Though they have burnt it a little, it was tasting delicious with right amount of spices in place.

Restaurant – Paris (Old)

Unnakaya/ Pazham Nirachathu
A steamed and mashed banana which is filled with sweetened grated coconut, is deep fried in oil to offer a splendid taste. This popular malabar snack item is available in almost every tea shop in North Kerala.

Restaurant – Shabna tea stall in Thalassery bus stand

Chicken deep fry
This spicy roasted chicken fry was a perfect bet for Thalassery biryani we ordered. The fiery chicken exactly complemented the poor salt & spice of Thalassery Biryani we had.

Restaurant – Paris (Old)

Fish Adda/Meen Pathiri
This was something I stumbled upon in a restaurant outside Kannur railway station. A small banana leaf folded in a shape was stacked orderly in a plate. It was looking similar in appearance to fish polichathu(A fish covered with indigenous masala is wrapped in banana leaf and steamed). I ordered the fish adda to check whether it is fish pollichathu.

But what came in as a surprise was; a mashed fish, mixed with onion & masala, stuffed inside flattened rice floor like Tamil nadu Kolukattai.

Restaurant – MRA restaurant outside Kannur railway station

Kinnathapam
It is similar in taste to sweet appam of Tamil Nadu. We chanced upon this snack in a tea stall.

Restaurant – Tea stall near Thiruvangad sree rama temple

Few dishes I wanted to try on my next trip

Chattipathiri
Similar to Italaian Lasanga, this layered pastry is made in both sweet and spicy variants. While the sweet variant is made using sweetened beaten eggs & nuts, the spicy ones are made using traditional meat masala. This dish is quite popular in North Malabar region during Ramadan fasting.

Muttamala
Muttamala is yet another popular dish during Ramadan fasting. As the name suggests, this sweet is made using eggs and is sure tempting enough to try it one day.

Kallumakkaya Varattiyathu
This spicy dish of North Kerala is served mostly as an appetizer. De-shelled Mussels are sauted and deep fried in oil with shallots, ginger, garlic and spices to offer you a spicy Kallumakkaya varattiyathu.

Kalathappam
This pancake made using brown rice, cocunut flakes and jaggery is quite a famous dessert in the muslim community of North Malabar region.

Neypathiri
A crispy snack item similar in appearance to Tamil Nadu’s Thattai.

Pickled Mussels
I had tasted fish pickle from southern most part of Tamil nadu. I loved it. When I read about Mussel pickle. I obviously know I would love it too. 

The list goes on! Let me stop with this!

This land of spices has so much to offer ranging from mussels to oyster. I should say that it is a sea food paradise.

When the best way to know a place is through its food, why not try its best delicacy? Kannur, being famous for its culinary heritage, we thought of diving straight into the root through its food. I guess we could only do 50% justice to its delicacy. Looking forward for my next trip to Kannur.

Have you ever felt connected to a place through it’s food? Drop in your comments.

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