A wide range of food options ranging from inexpensive street-side food stalls for a quick-and-cheap bite to exclusive restaurants for fine dining are available. Between these extremes, Kochi offers coffee houses, snack-bars, specialty restaurants and several food courts, especially in the malls. Cuisines from many countries and various regions of India are available with Kerala's special culinary delights in a la carte, prix fixe or smorgasboard/buffet format. Kochi is a seafood lover's paradise.
Two signature breakfast dishes of Kerala are puttu (a steamed rice flour and coconut flakes cake) and appam (a pancake with frilly edge and a soft bulgy middle, made from fermented rice batter). Puttu is best paired with Kadala curry (a spicy dish made of Bengal gram)and appam with stew (a coconut-milk rich curry made with vegetables alone or in combination with boiled egg or any meat). Other pairing side dishes include curries made with eggs or fish. Though labelled as good for breakfast items, they can make for a filling meal at any time of the day.
Soft, fluffy idlis; crisp vadas and dosas; and uppumavu (typically, a porridge-like dish made with semolina, the Kerala version being dry and grainy) can be savoured with coconut chutney and sambar. A cup of hot, sweet tea or aromatic coffee (especially, filter coffee)lends a perfect finish to your morning repast.
Kerala, a strip of land on the Southern end of the Indian subcontinent, is bordered all along one side by the Arabain sea. It is also blessed with 44 major rivers and 34 lakes. Justifiably Keralites are proud of their fish, be it from the freshwater lakes and rivers or the sea. Kochiites are particularly proud of fish like barramundi (kalanchi in local parlance)from the brackish water where the fresh water from the Vembanad lake joins the Arabian sea. Anyone who has experienced Kerala seafood will never forget its great variety and racy taste. Fish, prawns, crabs et al are always available and all eaters will find them most palatable no matter whether they are epicures or just ordinary diners. Most restaurants specialize in Kerala cuisine which may prove too spicy to a delicate palate. It is advisable to ask for the spiciness level of the restaurant's dishes and ask for medium spicy, if required. Another feature is the extensive use of coconut and coconut oil in practically all culinary preparations.
Make sure you sample such specialities like karimeen (Pearlspot, a local delicacy), either fried or curried (the most famous one being Karimeen pollichathu); scampi and lobsters (excellent when grilled); Malabari fish molee (fish cooked in coconut milk and tamarind juice); and hot Malayalee fried prawns (prawns sauteed in red chilli paste along with finely-chopped onions and other condiments and cooked till tender). For vegetarians the traditional oonu (prix fixe lunch-time platter, sometimes served on plantain leaves) includes rice, an assortment of curries, vegetables, papadams, pickle, and yoghurt/buttermilk. For seafood lovers, fish curry meal is a great value-for-money option. Biriyani in its various forms, be it veg, chicken, beef, mutton, fish, prawn or egg is another popular lunch option. For gourmets, the generally heavy meals can be finished off on a sweet note with payasam, most commonly associated with celebrations and festivals. Most eateries also serve a refreshing range of fruit juices, ice creams, lassi (sweet or salty buttermilk served chilled), shakes, sundaes, and splits. But on a hot, sultry day, nothing really beats the heat like the fresh water of tender coconuts available from street-side vendors.
A steady influx of people from outside the state has necessitated the opening of many restaurants catering to a wider choice of cuisines, be it ethnic South Indian (which includes the fiery Andhra cuisine) or the North Indian spread (from rich Mughlai to sizzling tandoori to the subtle and nutritious Gujarathi thali). All the major hotels offer an incomparable choice of continental cuisines in glittering restaurants, elegant brasseries, and cosy coffee shops. There's all the sophistication and majesty of French haute cuisine or the exotic flavours of the Mediterranean platter. For a taste of the Orient, you could either sample some hot, fragrant, and spicy Thai fare or a variety of Chinese cuisines, be it the royal Peking, the pungent Szechuan, the subtle Shanghainese, or the popular Cantonese. Most big hotels also do have theme food festivals from time to time, promising to take you on a gastronomical excursion, from the deserts of Mexico to our very own backwaters of Kuttanad. Payasam melas and traditional sadhyas during Onam, and food festivals during the Tourism week (Dec-Jan) are not to be missed.
While self-service is the norm in fast-food outlets, table service is available at restaurants. The growing number of food courts, fast-food joints, pizzerias, delis, and cafes provides great eats, whereas thattukadas, or street-side kitchens, are a cheap and fast alternative to restaurants. The city also has a growing number of Arabian grills (the popular ones being kuzhimanthi and Shawarma) besides mobile bhelpuri and chaat stalls, particularly popular amongst youngsters.