Food · Kerala · India
What to eat in Kerala
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Kerala, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
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Quick answer
Start with Appam and stew, Puttu and kadala curry and Sadya. On an overnight houseboat, the cook prepares Kerala lunch, tea snacks and dinner on board, often with karimeen fish bought from a canal-side fisherman. 'Meals' on a menu means a lunchtime rice plate with several curries, usually the best value in town.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Appam and stew
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 6
- Tipping
- In restaurants, about 5–10% is appreciated if no service charge is included.
- Food experiences
- 4
12 foods to try
Breakfast
1.Appam and stew
Lacy, bowl-shaped fermented rice pancakes with a soft centre, eaten with a mild stew of vegetables, chicken or mutton in coconut milk with black pepper and curry leaves. It is the classic Syrian Christian breakfast.
Where: Homestays in Fort Kochi and local restaurants across central Kerala.
Breakfast · Vegetarian
2.Puttu and kadala curry
Steamed cylinders of ground rice layered with grated coconut, served with a spicy black chickpea curry, banana or papadam.
Where: Local breakfast places all over Kerala, usually from early morning.
Dish · Vegetarian
3.Sadya
A vegetarian feast of rice with 20 or more dishes — sambar, avial, thoran, olan, pickles, papadam and payasam — served on a banana leaf and eaten with the right hand. It is central to Onam and weddings.
Where: Vegetarian restaurants serve sadya-style 'meals' at lunch; full sadyas are offered around Onam.
Dish
4.Karimeen pollichathu
Pearl spot, a backwater fish, marinated in a red masala, wrapped in banana leaf and pan-roasted. It is the signature dish of the backwater region.
Where: Toddy shops and restaurants around Alappuzha and Kumarakom, and on many houseboats.
Dish
5.Fish moilee
Fish such as seer or pomfret simmered in a mild coconut-milk gravy with turmeric, ginger and green chilli, often eaten with appam.
Where: Restaurants in Fort Kochi and along the coast.
Dish
6.Kerala fish curry (Meen curry)
A tangy red fish curry soured with kudampuli (Malabar tamarind) and cooked in a clay pot, traditionally eaten with kappa (boiled tapioca).
Where: Toddy shops and 'meals' restaurants across the state.
Dish
7.Beef fry with parotta (Beef ularthiyathu)
Beef slow-roasted with coconut slivers, black pepper, curry leaves and spices until dark and dry, paired with flaky layered parotta bread. It is one of Kerala's most popular everyday dishes.
Where: Local restaurants and roadside eateries in Kochi and central Kerala.
Dish
8.Malabar biryani
The northern Kerala biryani, made with short-grain kaima rice, chicken or mutton, fried onions, ghee and mild spices. Thalassery and Kozhikode versions are the most famous.
Where: Restaurants in Kozhikode and Thalassery, and Malabar-style restaurants in Kochi.
Dish · Vegetarian
9.Avial
Mixed vegetables such as drumstick, yam and plantain cooked with coconut, yoghurt and curry leaves, finished with coconut oil. A staple of the sadya.
Where: Vegetarian 'meals' restaurants and every sadya.
Dessert · Vegetarian
10.Payasam
A sweet pudding of rice, vermicelli or lentils cooked with jaggery or milk, coconut and cardamom; several kinds end a sadya.
Where: Vegetarian restaurants and sweet shops, and on every festival menu.
Snack · Vegetarian
11.Banana chips
Thin slices of raw banana fried in coconut oil and salted, or coated in jaggery as sharkara upperi. Kerala's favourite snack and souvenir.
Where: Snack shops in every town, often fried in front of you.
Drink · Vegetarian
12.Toddy (Kallu)
Mildly alcoholic, slightly sour palm sap drunk fresh in licensed toddy shops, which also serve some of Kerala's spiciest home-style food.
Where: Licensed toddy shops around Alappuzha, Kottayam and Kumarakom; some cater to visitors.
Food experiences
Houseboat meals
On an overnight houseboat, the cook prepares Kerala lunch, tea snacks and dinner on board, often with karimeen fish bought from a canal-side fisherman.
Banana-leaf 'meals' lunch
Vegetarian restaurants serve unlimited rice with sambar, curries and pickles on a banana leaf at lunchtime — the everyday version of the sadya.
Toddy shop dinner
Licensed toddy shops serve fiery fish curry, duck roast and kappa with fresh palm toddy; some near Alappuzha and Kumarakom welcome visitors.
Fort Kochi cooking class
Homestays and cooking schools in Fort Kochi teach Kerala dishes such as fish moilee, thoran and appam in home kitchens.
Quick bites and street food
- Appam and stew — Homestays in Fort Kochi and local restaurants across central Kerala.
- Puttu and kadala curry — Local breakfast places all over Kerala, usually from early morning.
- Banana chips — Snack shops in every town, often fried in front of you.
Vegetarian options
Of the 12 foods in this guide, 6 are usually vegetarian: Puttu and kadala curry, Sadya, Avial, Payasam, Banana chips and Toddy. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- 'Meals' on a menu means a lunchtime rice plate with several curries, usually the best value in town.
- Eat with your right hand when dining local-style; restaurants always provide spoons on request.
- Alcohol is sold only in licensed bars, some hotels and government outlets, so many restaurants do not serve it.
- Ask for 'less spicy' at toddy shops and local restaurants; Kerala chilli heat can be fierce.
- Drink bottled or filtered water; many restaurants serve boiled water flavoured with herbs (thilappicha vellam).
Tipping
In restaurants, about 5–10% is appreciated if no service charge is included. Houseboat crews, drivers and guides are usually tipped a few hundred rupees per day at the end of the trip.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Namaskaram | Hello (respectful greeting) |
| Nanni | Thank you |
| Ethra aanu? | How much is it? |
| Venda | I don't want it / no thanks |
| Sheri | OK |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Kerala famous for?
Appam and stew, Puttu and kadala curry, Sadya and Karimeen pollichathu. Lacy, bowl-shaped fermented rice pancakes with a soft centre, eaten with a mild stew of vegetables, chicken or mutton in coconut milk with black pepper and curry leaves.
+Is Kerala good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Puttu and kadala curry, Sadya and Avial.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Kerala?
In restaurants, about 5–10% is appreciated if no service charge is included. Houseboat crews, drivers and guides are usually tipped a few hundred rupees per day at the end of the trip.