| Kerala is situated on the South West coast of | | | | eaten locally. |
| India right beside Tamil Nadu. The capital is | | | | There are many methods of fishing - Chinese |
| Trivandrum with its bustling harbour lined with | | | | fishing nets attached to upright wooden poles |
| fishing nets and home to fishing boats of all | | | | catch what is swimming by. The nets are raised |
| shapes and sizes. | | | | and lowered with ropes and the catch extracted. |
| Much of the architecture has been influenced by | | | | Trawlers fish the deeper waters and, as |
| the Chinese who traded along the coast leaving | | | | elsewhere, fill their nets with anything and |
| legacy of cooking pots similar to woks, cleavers | | | | everything which can't escape through the mesh. |
| and pickling jars. As well as the Chinese, the | | | | On some beaches you can buy fresh caught |
| abundance of spices in Kerala attracted the | | | | pomfret, tiger prawns, red snapper, crabs and |
| attentions of the early Phoenicians, Syrians, | | | | mullet, to name but a few and have it stir-fried at |
| Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all of whom were | | | | a shack where a quick sauce of garlic and shallots |
| happy just to trade and return home. Fighting | | | | is tossed with turmeric and chilli. |
| over the territory didn't begin until the late 15th | | | | The fishermen eat what they call Boatman's |
| Century when the British, Dutch, Portuguese and | | | | Curry. It uses meaty fish steaks such as cod, |
| French tried to stake their claims to the spice | | | | swordfish or salmon, cooked in a thick spice paste |
| riches. The British ended up the victors and set up | | | | (red chillies, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground |
| a factory and depot dealing in spices in Tellicherry, | | | | coriander, turmeric and grated coconut) which is |
| a name still associated with good quality pepper. | | | | first fried then mixed with tamarind paste, green |
| Black pepper is prolific in Kerala and makes a | | | | chillies, ginger, shallots and salt. |
| major contribution to India's input of one third of | | | | Apart from fish, a popular celebration meal is |
| the world's production. Cardamom too is a native | | | | "stew" for especially for Christians at the end of |
| here and the warm, damp growing conditions are | | | | fasting for Lent. Made from boneless lamb |
| ideal for ginger and turmeric rhizomes to flourish. | | | | shoulder with potatoes and carrots simmered in |
| Kerala is famous for its inland waterways including | | | | spicy sauce of cardamom, cinnamom, cloves, |
| lakes, lagoons, canals and rivers, collectively | | | | curry leaves, ginger green chillies and onion with |
| known as backwaters, bordered by tropical, lush, | | | | coconut milk added at the end, it resembles a |
| greenery and paddy fields as well as homes and | | | | spicy Irish stew. |
| schools. The backwaters provide a road network | | | | Another favourite lamb dish is shoulder meat |
| along which transport in the form of canoes, | | | | stewed with fennel, spices, vinegar and toasted |
| grass-thatched rice boats and overloaded water | | | | coconut chips. The sauce is allowed to dry out so |
| buses ply their trade. | | | | it clings to the meat and the dish is finished with |
| Kerala means "land of the coconuts" and no part | | | | fried mustard seeds, shallots and curry leaves. |
| of the coconut is wasted - the oil is used for | | | | Duck and chicken are readily available and |
| frying and the dressing of hair. The flesh appears | | | | vegetable dishes are common as many Hindus |
| in a large number of cooked dishes and the coir | | | | are vegetarian. Whatever the vegetable, it will |
| which is produced from the husk of the coconut, | | | | very often be mixed with coconut. |
| is used to make floor mats, mattresses and | | | | Local boiled red rice is eaten with every meal and |
| many handicrafts. | | | | sometimes appams which are rice pancakes with |
| Fish is big business here - a lot of prawns are | | | | a spongy centre. Ginger chutney or yoghurt with |
| exported to Japan and USA, having first been | | | | pineapple may also be served. |
| peeled and sorted by size by an all-woman | | | | Favourite snacks are paper-thin slices of plantain |
| workforce and frozen. Squid too goes to Japan as | | | | or banana deep fried in coconut oil - the Keralan |
| well as frogs' legs to France but the majority is | | | | equivalent of western potato chips. |